April 30, 2020Gronda Morin

Encouraging News About Drug Remdesivir Having Future Success In Treating COVID-19 Patients

There’s hope for ways to help all of us to beat back the horrible consequences from contracting the coronavirus COVID-19 bug permeating within the USA by the Fall season when most epidemiology experts are predicting its resurgence.

There’s Oxford University scientists currently conducting clinical trials on human subjects on a COVID-19 vaccine which could be available for public consumption by September 2020.

See: Oxford Conducting Clinical Trials For COV-19 Vaccine That Could Be Ready For Public By 9/2020

Coronavirus: Five Oxford University students positive | Oxford Mail
OXFORD UNIVERSITY

In early April 2020 the (FDA) Food and Drug Administration approved two nationwide clinical trials that the agency would coordinate which requires the collection and use of plasma from Covid-19 survivors. As those trials get underway, blood centers around the country are mounting an unprecedented effort to collect the potentially life-saving substance which involves an ill patient being transfused with the plasma of a surviving donor in the hopes that the donor’s antibodies will fight the virus.

See 3/24/2020 Wired report on  convalescent plasma therapy.

Damian Dovarganes / AP

Then there’s the drug remdesivir by Gilead Sciences which is undergoing clinical trials in the USA on human test subjects. This treatment has shown real promise for being both an effective and a safe therapy in lessening the harmful effects for those who become ill from the COVID-19 infection.

Here’s the rest of the story…

As per the 4/29/2020 CNN report by Maggie Fox, Jamie Gumbrecht, Holly Yan and Betsy Klein, “FDA reportedly will approve Covid-19 treatment remdesivir, which US-funded trial shows has ‘positive effect’ on recovery”

Excerpts:

“Researchers released some good news about a possible treatment for coronavirus Wednesday (4/29/2020)– evidence that the experimental drug remdesivir might help patients recover more quickly from the infection.”

The US Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved any drugs for the treatment of the coronavirus. But it plans to announce an emergency-use authorization for remdesivir, according to The New York Times. The authorization could come as soon as Wednesday, The Times reported, citing a senior administration official.”
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“In a statement to CNN, the FDA said it is in talks with Gilead Sciences, the maker of remdesivir, about making the drug available to patients.”
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“As part of the FDA’s commitment to expediting the development and availability of potential COVID-19 treatments, the agency has been engaged in … discussions with Gilead Sciences regarding making remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible, as appropriate,” FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said in statement.”
“The government-funded study found that patients who took remdesivir recovered faster than patients who did not. It’s not a home run, but federal officials are keen to provide any hope they can in a pandemic that has infected more than 1 million Americans and killed close to 60,000 of them.”
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Who Will Replace Scott Gottlieb as Head of the FDA? | BioSpace
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“The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was optimistic about the results.”
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“The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Fauci said at the White House during a meeting with President Donald Trump.”
DR. FAUCI
“Results from the preliminary trial show remdesivir improved recovery time for coronavirus patients from 15 to 11 days. That’s similar to the effect that the influenza drug Tamiflu has on flu. Tamiflu also doesn’t cure patients quickly, but can reduce how long they’re sick.
“Although a 31% improvement doesn’t seem like a knockout 100%, it’s very important proof of concept,” Fauci said of remdesivir. “What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.”
Remdesivir also may reduce the likelihood that patients will die.”
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“Results also suggested a survival benefit, with a mortality rate of 8.0% for the group receiving remdesivir versus 11.6% for the placebo group,” the NIAID said.”
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“Normally, data about a drug’s efficacy wouldn’t be released this early from a preliminary trial. But “whenever you have clear-cut evidence that a drug works, you have an ethical obligation to immediately let the people in the placebo group know so that they can have access,” (Dr.) Fauci said.”
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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As per 4/29/2020 New York Times report, Coronavirus Live Updates: Fauci Calls Study Of New Drug, ‘Very Optimistic:’
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Excerpts:
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“Remdesivir shows promise as a treatment, Fauci says, but cautions the study still needs peer review.”

“A federal trial has shown that treatment with remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug, can speed recovery in patients infected with the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday (4/29/2020).”

“The Food and Drug Administration is likely to issue an emergency approval for remdesivir, a senior administration official told The New York Times. Eventually the drug, made by Gilead Sciences, could be the first approved treatment for Covid-19, the illness caused by the virus.”

“An emergency authorization by the F.D.A. is not the same as a formal drug approval by the agency. When the federal government declares a public health emergency, the F.D.A. can approve certain drugs or tests to address the emergency if there are no other alternatives. That is the case with the coronavirus, since no drugs have been proven to be effective against the virus.”

Subjects covered in 4/29 NYT report: