US says Remdesivir trial on Covid-19 patients ‘very optimistic’

The United States has expressed optimism regarding the trial of the antiviral drug, Remdesivir on coronavirus patients on Wednesday.

According to Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), study showed that the mortality rate for patients on Remdesivir was 8% lower than the 11% of those on placebo.

Also the recovery rate for patients on Remdesivir was 4 times faster than those on placebo.

“Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Dr. Fauci said

“It is a very important proof of concept because what it is proving is that a drug can block this virus”, he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, Dr. Mike Ryan, has warned against commenting on the Remdesivir trial results stating that it was “too early”.

“It’s always very important that we consider all publications related to them, it can sometimes take a number of publications to determine the ultimate impact of a drug”, Ryan said.

“I think a lot more data will come out, we’re all hoping, and fervently hoping, that one or more of the treatments currently under observation and under trial will result in altering and improving clinical outcomes,” he added.

What is Remdesivir?

Remdesivir is an antiviral treatment developed by Gilead Sciences- a pharmaceutical company- to treat the deadly Ebola virus that invaded West Africa in 2014.

READ ALSO: COVID-19 cases in Africa have risen to 34,000 –WHO

The drug has tremendously helped in stopping the replication of viruses and since like Ebola, Covid-19 is caused by a virus, scientists are now testing Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients.

However, the drug is “not a cure”, a US Senior Medical Correspondent for CNN, Elizabeth Cohen had cautioned, “but it does appear to help and it does appear to have a proof of concept and we can go from here to expand on that,” she stated.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now