This drug was approved for emergency use back in May but can now be applied more widely to COVID-19 patients, with one draw back: it doesn’t always do much.
Unfortunately, the pandemic is still upon us. In some ways, the numbers are getting better, however. The amount of cases is still problematic in many places throughout the world, but the rate of fatalities seems to be decreasing as time goes on. The rate of new cases, in some places, is also decreasing.
Why is this? Part of it has to do with the tools doctors now have on hand to treat patients with severe cases of the coronavirus.
Antiviral Medication
Earlier this fall, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first drug ever to treat COVID-19. It’s an antiviral drug called Remdesivir, and is being sold under the brand name Veklury. This drug has actually been approved for emergency use since last May but is now available for wider application.
Does it work? Sort of. Well, it does something, but it certainly isn’t moving mountains. The benefits are minimal.
According to reports, some studies have shown patients in the hospital with COVID-19 who take remdesivir reduce their average hospital stay from 15 days to 11.
Another study showed that patients who had developed moderate pneumonia from COVID-19 and who were given a five-day course of this drug recovered more quickly than those who received other routine care without it. This was true for patients who did not need oxygen or a ventilator for support.
Related: Can You Trust the Coronavirus Test?
There is some controversy around the drug, however. Nothing is perfect. A global study done by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that remdesivir had no effect on patients whatsoever. So, obviously not everyone is on the same page.
So, what is it, and how does it work? Remdesivir is a broad spectrum antiviral medication developed by Gilead Sciences. It is given to patients via an injection and has a varied past. It was originally developed to treat Ebola and has been used in the fight against both MERS and SARS, two other deadly illnesses caused by coronaviruses.
Remdesivir works by slowing viruses from replicating themselves. It does this by blocking an enzyme that helps the virus do this. At best, Remdesivir seems to provide a marginal benefit to COVID-19 patients, at worst, it might have some side effects but nothing too tragic, so far.
The Benefit of Steroids
Thankfully, we do have a few other tricks up our sleeves. It was discovered this June that steroids are also potentially helpful in keeping people with a heavy case of COVID-19 alive. A study done at the University of Oxford found the steroid dexamethasone cut the number of people who died in hospital while being treated for the virus with a breathing machine by up to 35%.
Dexamethasone also reduced the deaths of patients with the virus who needed oxygen in hospital by 20%.
Like remdesivir, this drug also has multiple uses. Dexamethasone works as a powerful anti inflammatory and an immunosuppressant. It is often used in patients who are undergoing cancer treatment.
Related: Coronavirus Longhaulers: What It’s Like
This drug is similar to the naturally occurring hormone cortisol that’s produced by your adrenal glands, and has been used to treat nausea and to stimulate patients’ appetites.
Unfortunately, the daily death count associated with COVID-19 remains significant. It hasn’t dipped below 200 people in the US since the pandemic first began last March. In recent months it has hovered between about 300 to 1,000 people per day and has not reached the high peaks seen in April, which hit 2,705 deaths on April 15, 2020, but it has yet to drop to zero. Hopefully we will not see those heights ever again but time will tell. As we wait, mask up, wash your hands, and stay socially distanced.
photo credits: Tobias Arhelger/Shutterstock.com
