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Clinical trial finds Gilead drug remdesivir is effective in treating COVID-19

The NIH's clinical trial found remdesivir helped COVID-19 patients recover sooner. It's the first drug proven effective in treating the coronavirus.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — It’s a step forward as the world tries to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. 

The results of a clinical research trial from the National Institutes of Health found the antiviral drug remdesivir is effective in treating COVID-19. 

The NIH found patients given remdesivir recovered 31% faster than those given a placebo: their recovery time dropped from 15 days to 11 days. 

The drug also appeared to improve survival. Trial-wide, 11.6% of patients given a placebo died, compared with 8% of remdesivir recipients who did not survive. Further research is needed to conclude if the drug is effective when it comes to mortality.

Dr. Patrick Jackson is the lead investigator of a remdesivir clinical trial at the University of Virginia, in collaboration with the NIH.  

“It’s a really hard thing to do good science in the middle of a pandemic, and I think this is the gold standard study that is going to change how we treat all these people right away,” said Jackson. 

He added, “Remdesivir is a solid hit, but it’s not a homerun... it’s not a miracle cure.”

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Currently, remdesivir is not an FDA-approved drug and is not available in the U.S. outside of the clinical trial. 

The FDA plans to issue an emergency-use authorization for the drug, which would allow doctors to use it more broadly to treat patients with COVID-19.  

“There’s still a lot of work to be done: social distancing, there’s still a role for a vaccine and additional treatments,” said Jackson.

The second phase of this study is to look at is whether remdesivir can have even more benefit in combination with other drugs, and also trying to figure out which patients benefit more from remdesivir.

Currently, remdesivir is only available as an IV medication. There is no pill form of the drug.

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