Since the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted emergency use of remdesivir for coronavirus treatment early in May, the drug has proved its potency against COVID-19 patients. It was the first authorized therapy for coronavirus treatment in the USA.
This news comes after a final report released by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) regarding remdesivir treatment. The report indicates that the drug significantly shortens recovery time to hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The FDA initially allowed it as an experimental drug when some patients experienced recovery improvements while using it.
Patients on remdesivir drug recovered on an average of ten days, compared with 15 days to those only obtaining supportive care, including IV fluids and oxygen. These figures indicate a five-day difference to clinical improvement time.
Additionally, the clinical improvement time for hospitalized coronavirus patients with pneumonia or respiratory tract infections decreased significantly.
However, some notable facts indicate that the remdesivir drug didn’t appear to change a patient’s risk of dying from coronavirus infections.
What Makes Remdesivir Drug Effective
Remdesivir acts against coronavirus by hindering its ability to replicate within human cells.
Researchers have indicated that remdesivir drug is highly effective in preventing the replication mechanism of the coronavirus’s key enzymes that multiplies in the body.
Its potential effectiveness has made the drug to spread out across the country for treatment quickly. Also, it is available for use to patients experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms.
Additional Drugs and Therapies that Work Alongside Remdesivir
Studies from the New England Journal of Medicine found out that Remdesivir drug alone won’t control coronavirus deaths significantly. However, several combinations of remdesivir with other drugs are still in trials to verify whether they might improve results even more.
Besides, the remdesivir drug is one of the several therapies specialists utilized to treat President Donald Trump. The president also obtained an experimental antibody cocktail produced by drug manufacturer Regeneron. The maker uses technology that makes natural copies of the body’s antibodies to combat COVID-19 infections.
The antibody mixture is still undergoing clinical trials. However, with the positive evidence of Trump’s ongoing recovery from coronavirus, Regeneron has asked the FDA for its authorized emergency use to treat COVID-19.
Additional reports indicate that President Trump obtained the steroid dexamethasone. The drug is usually given together with remdesivir to address worsened COVID-19 cases, especially those requiring supplementary oxygen.
The other unverified but potentially useful therapy that the FDA has granted emergency authorization includes convalescent plasma. The treatment involves using the antibodies obtained from coronavirus survivors and then injecting it into current patients. This procedure allows the COVID-19 patient’s immune system to create sufficient antibodies to fight the infections.
Final Words from the Recover
COVID-19 effects are less traumatic than when it started, with normalcy already taking place in most countries. However, people should continue exercising policies established to control its spread until the pandemic impacts decrease significantly before its cure.
Besides, don’t forget to check our drug rehab directory for useful information about excellent facilities and drugs to address any mental health conditions you encountered due to the pandemic’s impact.
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