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SINGAPORE – The National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) is actively reviewing the latest conflicting findings on the antiviral drug remdesivir, although the drug remains a treatment option for Covid-19 patients in Singapore.
This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) released the interim results of its Solidarity trial on October 15.
Results from the WHO trial indicate that remdesivir has little or no effect on the length of time Covid-19 patients stay in hospital or their chances of survival.
Therefore, the NCID Covid-19 Therapeutic Working Group is actively reviewing the final report of the first Covid-19 Adaptive Treatment Trial from the United States National Institutes of Health (ACTT1) that was recently published, along with a pre-printed document from the WHO Solidarity trial.
ACTT1 studied the efficacy of remdesivir in patients with Covid-19. A pre-printed document is a research paper that has not yet been peer-reviewed.
The WHO has also assembled an international team, including representatives from Singapore, to further discuss the latest findings before issuing an update on the treatment recommendation, the NCID told The Straits Times on Tuesday (October 20).
Remdesivir was developed by the American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. It received conditional approval from the Singapore Health Sciences Authority for use outside of clinical trials in June.
Meanwhile, there are no changes to the current treatment approach in Singapore.
Infectious disease specialists can administer remdesivir to patients with low oxygen saturation levels, less than or equal to 94 percent, or those who may require supplemental oxygen or more intensive respiratory support.
“It is important to reiterate that this is a new disease and that ongoing research and clinical trials are being conducted to provide the best treatment options and strategies to patients. The treatment guide is a living document that requires updating as they become available. new insights “said NCID.
Continued emphasis should be placed on early case detection, close monitoring of disease progression and early intervention, NCID emphasized.
Companies like Gilead have been racing to find a treatment for Covid-19. About 1.1 million people have died and 41 million have been reported infected by the coronavirus, which has thrown the world economy into chaos.
Remdesivir was one of the first drugs used to treat Covid-19. It was also one of the drugs that were recently used to treat US President Donald Trump after he tested positive for Covid-19. It has been shown in previous studies to reduce recovery time.
Gilead expressed concern about the WHO data, saying the data appeared inconsistent, the findings were premature, and other studies had validated the drug’s benefits.
Since then, the WHO has responded to defend the trial data.
“It’s a reliable result. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, because they will try,” Dr. Richard Peto, an independent statistician hired by WHO to evaluate his Solidarity trial, told reporters.
He added that any benefit remdesivir has may be due to chance.
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