Remdesivir May Keep Unvaccinated Out of the Hospital: Study

Dec. 23, 2021 — The antiviral remdesivir, an intravenous drug given principally to significantly sick COVID-19 sufferers in hospitals, might maintain unvaccinated individuals who develop into contaminated out of the hospital if given on an outpatient foundation, a brand new research says.

Researchers studied 562 unvaccinated folks from September 2020 to April 2021, based on the research revealed within the New England Journal of Medicine. The research decided the chance of hospitalization or dying was 87% decrease in research members who got remdesivir than members who obtained a placebo.

All members had been at excessive danger of creating extreme COVID-19 due to their age — they had been over 60 — or as a result of that they had an underlying medical situation corresponding to diabetes or weight problems.

An vital caveat: The findings are based mostly on information collected earlier than the Delta variant surged final summer time or the Omicron variant surged late this 12 months, The Washington Post reported.

The new research says the drug may very well be useful in holding vaccinated in addition to unvaccinated folks out of the hospital — an vital issue because the Omicron surge threatens to overwhelm well being programs all over the world.

Remdesivir may very well be a boon for COVID-19 sufferers in elements of the world that don’t have vaccines or for sufferers with immunocompromised programs.

“These data provide evidence that a 3-day course of remdesivir could play a critical role in helping COVID-19 patients stay out of the hospital,” Robert L. Gottlieb, MD, PhD, the therapeutic lead for COVID-19 analysis at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, stated in a information launch from Gilead Pharmaceuticals.

“While our hospitals are ready to assist patients in need, prevention and early intervention are preferable to reduce the risk of disease progression and allow patients not requiring oxygen to recover from home when appropriate.”

Remdesivir was the primary antiviral for COVID-19 licensed by the FDA. It was given to then-President Donald Trump when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October 2020.

Gilead launched the research findings in September.