Covid-19 patients who are getting an experimental drug called remdesivir have been recovering quickly, with most going home in days, STAT News reported Thursday after it obtained a video of a conversation about the trial. The patients taking part in a clinical trial of the drug have all had severe respiratory symptoms and fever, but were able to leave the hospital after less than a week of treatment, STAT quoted the doctor leading the trial as saying. Source 1j.
This is good news! Obviously this is not an immediate answer, because there is a lot more to do before we even get a general 'cure' out into the world. But, science is working on that, and it's good to know.
Despite a lack of research to back up the move, the FDA has authorized wider use of the drug remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment. Late Friday afternoon, the FDA said it would allow remdesivir to be used on all patients hospitalized with COVID-19, not just those on oxygen. But no research has been published that supports widespread use. It is the second time in a week the FDA has authorized wider use of a COVID-19 treatment without the science to support such a move. Ref. USAToday.
FDA approves remdesivir as treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients — the only approved coronavirus drug in the US, manufacturer says. Remdesivir works to stop replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the drug's manufacturer, Gilead. Previously authorized by the FDA for emergency use to treat COVID-19, the drug is now the first approved COVID-19 treatment in the United States, Gilead said in a release. Ref. USAToday.