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Friday, March 29, 2024
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HomeCOVID-19The CoviD-19 saga: Drug Update – Remdesivir leads with most promising results

The CoviD-19 saga: Drug Update – Remdesivir leads with most promising results

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The Food and Drug Administration last June 2020 ended the authorized emergency use for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drugs backed by President Trump to combat CovVid-19.

The agency determined that the drugs were unlikely to be effective in treating CoViD-19. This is in light of ongoing serious adverse cardiac events — or a host or cardiac related conditions e.g. heart attack that may cause death — and other serious side effects of the drug.

The known and potential benefits of CQ and HCQ no longer outweigh its known and potential risks.

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In the same month, the use of hydroxychloroquine in the UK Recovery Trial was discontinued when an interim analysis of 1,542 treatments showed it provided no mortality benefit to people hospitalized with severe CoviD-19 infection over 28 days of observation.

Hydroxychloriquine may not be very lucky, but its contemporary drug being researched for CoviD-19 treatment, Remdesivir is getting good results.

"Medication of antiviral capsule for treatment of new corona virus infection with Remdesivir text" by Jernej Furman is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Medication of antiviral capsule for treatment of new corona virus infection with Remdesivir text” by Jernej Furman is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The latest for Remdesivir are the following:

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A June 2020 study by Brandi N. Williamson and co-authors published in Nature stated that a small trial of remdesivir in rhesus macaque monkeys with CoviD-19 infections reported that early treatment with remdesivir reduced damage and disease progression, but not viral shedding.

What this means is that the drug, when used early, prevents the progression of the disease becoming severe.

While it has no effect on viral shedding, it does give future researchers a headstart in which their main goals would be adding properties that would take care of the virus’ viral shedding.

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The European Union granted remdesivir a conditional marketing authorization on 3 July 2020, with an indication for the treatment of COVID‑19 in adults and adolescents (aged 12 years and older with body weight at least 40 kg) with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen.

Within the same month, remdesivir was provisionally approved for use in Australia for use in adults and adolescents with severe CoviD-19 symptoms who have been hospitalized.

Locally, reports state that the Philippines is using Remdesivir for patients with severe symptoms of the Coronavirus Disease.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated last 1 July 2020, that coronavirus patients who are determined to have a need for the investigational drug remdesivir can get special “compassionate permits” from the agency – for those not part of the ongoing clinical trials.

Additionally Dexamethasone has been approved and is recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, and by the National Health Service in the UK, for patients with COVID-19 who are mechanically ventilated or who require supplemental oxygen but are not mechanically ventilated.

The NIH iterated that it does not recommend the glucocorticoid for those who do not require supplemental oxygen or hospitalization – basically those with mild cases of CoviD-19

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Austin Salameda
Austin Salameda
In pursuit of a career in medicine and the arts, Austin considers himself a non-conformist. he thinks everything returns to a baseline no matter how far things tilt from right to left. Writes sometimes, tells stories often, provokes always.
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