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The fight against coronavirus has been an uphill battle. Although we may have passed the peak, hundreds continue to die every day, and there are often few doctors who can do to save those affected by this mysterious disease.
However, the long-awaited results of an innovative medical trial have brought new hope.
American researchers have published preliminary data suggesting that a drug, called remdesivir, could effectively treat people with Covid-19.
Some have called it a “wonderful drug” and say it is a game-changing sign of progress in the battle against disease.
US researchers have released preliminary data suggesting that a drug, called remdesivir, in the photo, could effectively treat people with Covid-19.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The US, which led the trial, said the findings “prove that a drug can block this virus.”
While there have been other small studies exploring the potential benefit of the treatment, which is given to drip patients, this was the largest and most vigorous to date.
It involved more than 1,000 patients in 75 hospitals worldwide, including 46 people in the UK, and the results are much more promising than those seen in any other potential treatment to date.
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The drug is now available compassionately in the UK for pregnant women and seriously ill children with the disease, and US health chiefs. USA They have quickly streamlined it for emergency use in their most critical patients. So what exactly is it, and should we all be celebrating?
Remdesivir attacks an enzyme that a virus needs to replicate within cells. Laboratory and animal studies have previously shown that the drug is effective against other coronaviruses such as SARS.
The structure of these viruses is similar to that of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.
The drug was originally developed for use during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. When other treatments showed more promise for that disease, the research stopped.
However, for this coronavirus, it could be much more effective. According to the first results of the trials published last week, patients hospitalized with Covid-19 who received remdesivir for ten days saw that their recovery time was reduced by a third compared to a group of patients who received sham treatment. In practice, this meant that the average recovery time was reduced from 15 days to 11.
The drug also seemed to increase survival. About eight percent of the remdesivir group died, compared to almost 12 percent of those in the placebo group.
It is a small difference that could have occurred for other reasons, which is why scientists do not consider it to be statistically significant. However, the data is still being collected.
When it has been, the difference between the two groups may turn out to be greater, says Brian Angus, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, who is participating in the British trials. “It is not significant so far, but it is close,” he says.
Dr. Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds School of Medicine, agrees that the results are promising, especially given how ill the patients were beforehand.
“These are encouraging results and show a significant difference in terms of recovery,” he says.
‘At the time the drug was given, the virus was well established and therefore has a lot to catch up on. You are asked to do very difficult work.
The reduction in recovery time may seem small, but given the number of Covid-19 cases worldwide, this could have a major impact, as it means releasing intensive care beds, ventilators, and relieving the burden on hospitals.
“We have a lot of Covid-19 patients who stay in intensive care for quite a long time and need support like extra oxygen,” says Professor Angus. “So if you accelerate recovery in five days, that could be very helpful.”
It can also protect patients from long-term damage.
“We don’t know for sure yet, but it seems likely that if they recover faster, there will be less damage to their lungs,” says Dr. Griffin. “And if that also means they are discharged from intensive care three or four days early, that’s good for the NHS.”
While the trial involved hospital patients who received the drug intravenously, it may be even more effective if given before, before the disease becomes severe.
Despite the encouraging results, some experts say we should practice “cautious optimism”. The results of a much smaller remdesivir trial in Wuhan, China, pictured where the outbreak began, showed no significant difference in recovery time or patient mortality.
“We know from other viral illnesses, like the flu, that treating them early with antiviral drugs can almost stop the infection,” says Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London.
‘But if you wait until the virus is well established, they can reduce the time you have symptoms for just a few hours.
“If you start treatment very early with medications like remdesivir, it’s much more likely that it will have a greater effect.”
There is also the potential to increase the potency of remdesivir by combining it with other treatments. “We know from many infections that you need a combination treatment to benefit,” says Professor Angus.
‘The next test being considered is to give people remdesivir and something else to moderate their immune response.
“Because there is a suggestion that much of the damage that occurs in this disease is due to the immune reaction to the virus, not just the virus itself.”
Despite the encouraging results, some experts say we should practice “cautious optimism”.
Results from a much smaller remdesivir trial in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began, showed no significant difference in recovery time or patient mortality.
And full data from the international trial has yet to be published, meaning we don’t know how sick patients must be to benefit from remdesivir; however, those who benefited the most may have recovered.
And there is also the difficulty of obtaining the drug: there is currently a global shortage.
But remdesivir at least offers hope. “This medication is not an immediate cure,” says Professor Angus. ‘But it is a step in the right direction.’
