Remdesivir has only marginal benefit for moderate COVID-19 patients

Moderately ill COVID-19 patients saw their condition improve after a five-day course of Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, but a 10-day course did not show a benefit and the drug did not significantly shorten hospital stays, according to new data.

The 600-patient analysis, published on Friday by the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that moderately-ill patients treated with the antiviral drug for up to five days had significantly higher odds of improvement compared to patients given standard treatment. But researchers said the clinical importance of the benefit was uncertain.

Remdesivir is currently used under an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for treating patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Gilead earlier this month filed an application seeking full FDA approval of the drug.

The drug, which was shown in a trial of severe COVID-19 patients to shorten their hospital recovery time, has been at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic.