Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Gilead Says Drug Helped Moderately Ill Coronavirus Patients
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
June 2, 2020

Share

A California biotech company says its experimental drug remdesivir improved symptoms when given for five days to moderately ill, hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Remdesivir is the only treatment that’s been shown in a rigorous experiment to help fight the coronavirus. A large study led by the National Institutes of Health recently found it could shorten average recovery time from 15 days to 11 days in hospitalized patients with severe disease.
Gilead Sciences gave few details on Monday but said full results would soon be published in a medical journal.
Remdesivir is the only treatment that’s been shown in a rigorous experiment to help fight the coronavirus. A large study led by the National Institutes of Health recently found it could shorten average recovery time from 15 days to 11 days in hospitalized patients with severe disease.
The drug is given through an IV and is designed to interfere with an enzyme the virus uses to copy its genetic material. It’s approved for treating COVID-19 in Japan and is authorized for emergency use in the United States for certain patients.
The company-led study involved nearly 600 patients who had moderate pneumonia but did not need oxygen support. All were randomly assigned to get five or 10 days of the drug plus standard care, or standard care alone. Patients and their doctors knew who was getting what, which limits the objectivity of the results.
By the 11th day in the study, those on five days of remdesivir were 65% more likely to improve by at least one on a seven-point scale that included measures such as needing treatment with a breathing machine, Gilead said.

There Were No Deaths Among Patients on Five Days of the Drug

Ten days of treatment did not prove better than standard care alone.
There were no deaths among patients on five days of the drug, two among those on 10 days, and four among patients getting standard care alone. Nausea and headache were a little more common among those on the drug.
The study has some limitations, but “there was a control group which does help verify that remdesivir has some benefits,” said Dr. Radha Rajasingham, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis who had no role in the work.
Since there are limited supplies of the experimental drug, finding benefit from five versus 10 days means more people can be treated, she added.
In a note to investors, Evercore ISI analyst Umer Raffat noted that the study’s main goal was changed partway through, from the percentage of patients discharged within two weeks to the scale of improvement after 11 days.
“A fair amount of critical data,” such as hospital discharge information, has not been disclosed, he wrote.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

DON'T MISS

If ex-Bitwise CEOs Behave in Prison, How Much Less Time Will They Serve?

DON'T MISS

Trump Just Bet the Farm

DON'T MISS

Staged Crashes and Insurance Fraud: Is Your California Commute a Target?

DON'T MISS

Fight Over Phonics: Will CA Require the ‘Science of Reading’ in K-12 Schools?

DON'T MISS

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

DON'T MISS

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

DON'T MISS

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

DON'T MISS

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

DON'T MISS

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

UP NEXT

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

Flores Homers, Matos and Wade Also Go Deep to Help Giants Cap Sweep of Astros

UP NEXT

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

Staged Crashes and Insurance Fraud: Is Your California Commute a Target?

58 minutes ago

Fight Over Phonics: Will CA Require the ‘Science of Reading’ in K-12 Schools?

1 hour ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

2 hours ago

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

2 hours ago

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

2 hours ago

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

2 hours ago

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

2 hours ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

2 hours ago

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

2 hours ago

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

2 hours ago

Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

A Porterville man accused of opening fire on Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies during an attempted eviction was arrested late Thursday, autho...

17 minutes ago

Kenneth Bratton, 43, was arrested after allegedly firing at Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies during an eviction attempt in Porterville. (Tulare County SO)
17 minutes ago

Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

27 minutes ago

If ex-Bitwise CEOs Behave in Prison, How Much Less Time Will They Serve?

52 minutes ago

Trump Just Bet the Farm

58 minutes ago

Staged Crashes and Insurance Fraud: Is Your California Commute a Target?

1 hour ago

Fight Over Phonics: Will CA Require the ‘Science of Reading’ in K-12 Schools?

2 hours ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

The Fresno Police Department will conduct an enforcement operation on April 7, 2025, to target drivers violating the hands-free cell phone law, aiming to reduce distracted driving. (Shutterstock)
2 hours ago

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Federal Reserve in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
2 hours ago

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend