Remdesivir Shortens Recovery for COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients... US FDA Nears Emergency Use Authorization

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Remdesivir, which has attracted attention as a treatment for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), was found to shorten the recovery period of hospitalized COVID-19 patients by 31% in an initial clinical trial.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), also praised the clinical trial results, raising expectations for remdesivir in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly planning to grant emergency use authorization for remdesivir.

On the 29th (local time), Fauci met with reporters at the White House and said that research results showed that treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with remdesivir reduced the recovery time by 31% compared to those not treated with it, calling it "quite good news."

He added, "31% may not seem like 100%, but it is a very important result," emphasizing, "It proves that this virus can be stopped by a treatment, and it will become the standard treatment for hospitalized patients."

He further stressed, "The data clearly shows that remdesivir has a significant and positive effect in reducing the recovery period."

President Trump, who was present, also praised it as "a very positive development."

The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing senior U.S. administration officials, that the FDA is expected to announce emergency use authorization for remdesivir as early as today.

If emergency use authorization is granted, doctors will be able to use remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients before official approval is issued.

President Trump also said in response to reporters' questions, "I hope the FDA approves it very quickly."

This study was conducted on over 1,000 COVID-19 patients across 68 regions worldwide, including the United States. The Washington Post (WP) reported that this is the first large-scale, randomized clinical study to determine whether remdesivir is effective against COVID-19.

Since February, remdesivir has been administered intravenously only to hospitalized patients. However, regarding mortality rates, Fauci added that 8% of hospitalized patients treated with remdesivir died, compared to 11% of those not treated, which was not statistically significant.

Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Institute in California, told WP, "It is not a breakthrough drug, and there are mixed good and bad results," but he also evaluated it as "a good start, effective, and safe."

WP assessed that while remdesivir did not meet the expectations of a miracle cure many hoped for, it raised hopes that a treatment option has been established for some patients.

News about remdesivir was revealed earlier that day when pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences stated, "We are aware of positive data from the NIAID's study on remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19." Amid expectations for the treatment, the New York stock market also rose.

Gilead Sciences announced that it plans to significantly increase remdesivir production, expecting to produce 1.5 million doses by the end of May, according to WP. This amount is sufficient to treat approximately 140,000 patients.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.