There is promise in a drug going through trials that could treat COVID-19.
We’re not talking hydroxychloroquine anymore — this drug has the support of Dr. Anthony Fauci, so it’s got that going for it.
Fauci touted the results this week of a trial examining the drug remdesivir, reporting “quite good news” as it shortened the period patients experienced symptoms, and that it could potentially reduce the mortality rate.
“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” Fauci said, calling the development “very optimistic.”
Full data had not yet been submitted for peer-review, but Fauci said he was able to preview the results and saw that the remdesivir, made by Gilead Sciences, had a “a clear-cut, significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery.”
For those who took the drug, Fauci said, it took less time to recover, averaging 11 days compared to 15 days for those in a control group who received a placebo. Fauci said the data represented “a very important proof of concept” — showing that a drug could, in fact, “block” COVID-19. Experts said the results were hopeful but that more study was needed.
Remdesivir, injected directly into a vein, has been used in the past to treat Ebola in Europe and SARS, which is close in protein makeup to COVID-19.
