According to a new Swiss study, the corona drug Remdesivir reduces mortality by about two percent. Remdesivir, originally developed against the Ebola virus, was one of the first drugs approved in 2020 for the treatment of Covid-19.
However, according to the study, remdesivir only works in patients with no or only conventional oxygen therapy. The results have been published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
In very severely affected patients, however, the evidence is inconclusive
In the case of the patients hardest hit by the coronavirus — those who required so-called high-flow oxygen therapy — the evidence is inconclusive, as the scientists from the University of Basel and Basel University Hospital wrote in the study published Tuesday. . This may be due to the fact that little data was available on this group of affected people.
Negative effects not observable
However, the researchers were unable to identify any negative effects of the drug in patients with a critical Covid 19 infection. “Fortunately, we have seen that remdesivir does not lead to more serious side effects compared to usual treatment,” study lead author Benjamin Speich said in a statement from the University of Basel on Wednesday.
Remdesivir approved in 2020
Remdesivir, originally developed against the Ebola virus, was one of the first drugs approved in 2020 for the treatment of Covid-19. Since then, several international studies have examined how treatment with remdesivir affects the mortality of hospitalized adults with Covid-19. The results were contradictory, so it remained controversial how well the drug works and whether its benefit differs in individual patient groups.
Data from over 10,000 unvaccinated patients from over 40 countries
The researchers have now collected and reanalyzed individual patient data from eight clinical trials. This is data from more than 10,000 unvaccinated patients from more than 40 countries who had been hospitalized for Covid-19. The results are in line with current WHO guidelines recommending the use of remdesivir for patients with severe but non-critical Covid-19 infection.
Treatment does not lead to earlier discharge from the hospital
With regard to age, the presence of concomitant diseases or subgroups with different levels of inflammatory markers, there was no evidence of any other benefit of the active substance to the patients. In addition, treatment with remdesivir did not lead to earlier hospital discharge. The effect of remdesivir in vaccinated or recovered people should be elucidated by further research, the study said.
Source: Krone
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