The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has quickly escalated into a global pandemic within a short amount of time. As of March 29, 2020, the United States has reported 122,653 cases, with the number rapidly increasing every day. In order to combat the spread of COVID-19 and treat the large number of infected patients, there has been an emphasis on trying to find potential drug therapies to combat the disease.
Remdesivir is a drug therapy that was developed in order to combat the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak. A recent study using remdesivir has also shown it to be effective at fighting against both severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). The researchers discovered that remdesivir is able to mimic an RNA nucleotide that is used when the virus replicates itself. When a virus replicates, it creates copies of the genetic information it contains. RNA nucleotides are the building blocks that carry this information and they are linked to each other to form a whole RNA molecule during replication. Remdesivir is effective in preventing the growing RNA molecules from continuing to replicate by blocking the proteins involved from adding further nucleotides. By blocking viral replication, the drug limits the virus from spreading in the body and infecting more healthy cells.
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Early clinical trials began in January where remdesivir was administered to patients with COVID-19. First, the researchers performed a physical exam to ensure that patients had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 with respiratory symptoms. Patients enrolled in the trial were then separated into two groups: one receiving the remdesivir drug and the other receiving a placebo treatment. The drug was initially given to patients on day 1 at a higher dose, and then patients were monitored and given additional smaller doses for a period of ten days. Based on initial results, the drug was able to improve patient symptoms and ultimately lead to a clearance of symptoms. The clinical study will continue until April to increase the number of patients in the trial. While the initial results look promising, it is important to note that remdesivir is currently considered to be an experimental drug and is still in its trial phases, so it is not widely available to patient use.
As cases continue to increase, there will be a stronger emphasis placed on working to find a therapy that is able to help patients fight against COVID-19. Currently, there is no approved and established antiviral therapy for COVID-19; however, there is ongoing research and testing of several drug therapies along with other transfusion therapies. The combination of several different therapy types will hopefully allow doctors and clinicians to find an effective treatment course in order to limit the lethality of COVID-19.
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