Gilead’s remdesivir drug a potential coronavirus treatment.
Gilead Sciences reported positive results from two studies that showed its therapy remdesivir could be a viable treatment to combat Covid-19.
Remdesivir
The separate studies’ results of its therapy remdesivir led to symptom improvement in patients with severe cases of the coronavirus. Gilead said the study of 200 patients showed that symptom remedy can be achieved in some with a 5-day regimen.
“These study results complement data from the placebo-controlled study of remdesivir conducted by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases and help to determine the optimal duration of treatment with remdesivir,” Merdad Parsey, Gilead’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. “The study demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir.”
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said on CNBC that announcements from Gilead about trials of remdesivir against the coronavirus “would not be a “home run” or a cure, but that it could possibly be used in earlier stages of the infection to avoid worse outcomes, similar to how Tamiflu is used against the seasonal flu”.
“We use it in the emergency room when people come in with the flu and we have it right away for people who might be at risk for the worst outcome,” Gottlieb said. “I think remdesivir could be used in a similar fashion. And so far all the data that we’ve seen accrue does suggest that there’s a treatment effect here.”
Earlier this month, the University of Chicago found that patients with Covid-19 had “rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms” and were discharged in less than a week, according to STAT News.
However, a draft document accidentally published by the World Health Organization (WHO), said the drug did not improve Covid-19 patients’ conditions or reduce the virus’ presence in the bloodstream in a clinical trial in China. WHO has been seen increasingly as a mouthpiece for Chinese Communist Party propaganda and the world should question the validity of “the accidental release”.
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