MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 26: Supporters of Real Madrid is protected with a mask by the coronavirus during the UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid v Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 26, 2020 in Madrid Spain
An antiviral drug called remdesivir is being considered a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus after it produced promising results in two hospitalized patients.
“It basically stops the production of the virus,” Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minnesota, told NBC News.
It was used to treat the first known case of COVID-19 in the U.S. after the unidentified 35-year old man failed to improve after seven days. The doctors wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine that they treated him “with intravenous remdesivir” on the evening of day seven and that by day eight, his symptoms began to go away.
CORONAVIRUS FAQ: WIKI OF MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
It is unclear how much, if at all, the drug affected the recovery process.
A second patient treated at the Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington credits the drug with his recovery.
Gilead, the biotech company that developed the drug, said in a statement that “remdesivir is an investigational antiviral with limited data at this time. It is not approved anywhere globally and has not been demonstrated to be safe or effective for any use.”
The company is currently supporting five clinical trials around the world to study remdesivir as a potential COVID-19 treatment. The two aforementioned patients received the drug through compassionate use programs.
Gilead said Sunday it was temporarily putting emergency access to remdesivir on hold due to a spike in compassionate-use requests.
First results of the clinical trials are expected in late April.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of South Carolina's decision to stop covering Planned Parenthood's…
A federal judge ruled on June 24 that the Trump administration cannot eliminate union bargaining…
Earlier this month, Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols unveiled a $105 million city-backed plan aimed at…
A majority of Democrats joined Republicans in the House of Representatives to crush the bid…
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee) said that New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani should…
On Tuesday, the Trump administration rescinded health guidance that the Biden administration established in 2022.…