COVID-19

WHO advises against remdesivir for coronavirus treatment

Agence France-Presse

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DOSE. A vial of remdesivir

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Friday's WHO recommendation is based on 4 international randomized trials among more than 7,000 patients hospitalized with the virus

The anti-viral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients no matter how severe their illness as it has “no important effect” on survival chances, the World Health Organization said Friday, November 20.

Scratching one of the few treatments that had shown some initial promise in severe patients, a WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) of international experts said there was “no evidence based on currently available data that it does improve patient-important outcomes.”

The United States, the European Union, and other countries have granted temporary approval for the use of remdesivir after initial research showed it may shorten recovery time in some coronavirus patients. 

President Donald Trump was treated with remdesivir among other medicines after he tested positive for COVID-19 in October. 

Friday’s WHO recommendation was based on 4 international randomized trials among more than 7,000 patients hospitalized with the virus. 

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Remdesivir has ‘little or no effect’ on COVID-19 mortality – WHO study

Remdesivir has ‘little or no effect’ on COVID-19 mortality – WHO study

Publishing updated treatment guidance in the BMJ medical journal, the panel acknowledged that their recommendation does not mean that remdesivir has no benefit for patients. 

But based on the latest figures, costs, and delivery methods, it advised “against administering remdesivir in addition to usual care for the treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, regardless of disease severity.”

Manufacturer Gilead said last month that the drug had boosted 2020 third quarter sales by almost $900 million. 

Initially developed as a treatment for the Ebola virus, remdesivir was found in one study published in May to reduce the length of hospital stays for COVID-19 sufferers from 15 to 11 days on average. 

A subsequent WHO pre-print however found the drug “appeared to have little or no effect” on mortality or length of hospitalization among more than 11,000 hospitalized patients across 30 countries. – Rappler.com

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