After a trial showed the drug remdesivir shortened recovery time for the coronavirus, the FDA plans to announce emergency authorization of the drug.
Remdesivir, the antiviral experimental drug, is being tested on coronavirus patients. Dr. Anthony Fauci called one of the studies “very optimistic,” even though there’s another study that found no benefits in using the drug.
Fauci also said that the study hadn’t been overseen by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and still needed to be peer reviewed.
A study conducted in China found no evidence that the drug helped severely ill patients, but left the possibility that it could help other patients. However, due to not enough participants enrolling, the study was never finished.
Fauci said that the drug could possibly shorten recovery by a third of the time. “Although a 31 percent improvement doesn’t seem like a knockout 100 percent, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” Fauci said. “This is very optimistic.”
President Donald Trump added, “Certainly it’s a positive, it’s a very positive event.”
In a statement, Gilead Sciences said it was aware of the positive results from the study. “We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that NIAID will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing.”
Remdesivir has yet to be licensed or approved in any country, and according to Gilead, “has not yet been demonstrated to be safe or effective for the treatment of Covid-19.”
Gilead’s spokesperson Ryan McKeel said, “We are continuing to discuss with them the growing body of evidence for remdesivir as a potential treatment for COVID-19, with the goal of making remdesivir more broadly available for patients in urgent need of treatment.”
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