Since the last few weeks, the drug Remdesivir has been in the news as a possible treatment for critical cases of novel coronavirus disease. Even some recent studies have claimed they have found promising results.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency approval to use the drug Remdesivir for critical COVID-19 patients. This came after some researches, including one led by Indian-American physician Aruna Subramanian, found that the drug helped recover some of the infected cases faster.
However, a study published in The Lancet put a question mark about the benefits of using the drug.
What is Remdesivir?
It is a drug with antiviral properties that was manufactured to treat Ebola cases by US-based biotechnology firm Gilead Sciences in 2014.
It has since been used to treat for MERS and SERS, both caused by members of the coronavirus family. However, it did not show much success. Now current research is looking at whether the drug’s antiviral properties work against SARS-CoV2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease.
Is Remdesivir really effective for COVID-19 treatment?
SARS-CoV2 reproduces itself inside the human cell with the help of an enzyme called RdRp. When Remdesivir is injected intravenously, it inhibits this enzyme and effectively blocks replication of the coronavirus.
The Journal of Biological Chemistry published a study on April 13 concluding that indeed, the “drug is able to inhibit the virus” and prevent its further spread in human cells.
Though the drug is still undergoing clinical trials, some countries like the US have given emergency approval to use the drug for their critical COVID-19 patients.
Besides, Gilead Sciences, who made Remdesivir, on Wednesday said it is currently in negotiations with “several” generic drugmakers in India for a voluntary licence to manufacture antiviral drug potentially for COVID-19 treatment in developing countries.