THE World Health Organization on Thursday recommended against using the antiviral remdesivir, a drug that had generated intense interest as a treatment for COVID-19.
An expert panel “concluded that remdesivir has no meaningful effect on mortality or on other important outcomes for patients, such as the need for mechanical ventilation or time to clinical improvement,” the WHO announced. The panel published its review in the journal The BMJ. The report did not rule out the use of the drug altogether as a COVID-19 treatment but said evidence was lacking to recommend its use.
Gilead Sciences, manufacturer of remdesivir, whose trade name is Veklury, said in a statement that its drug “is recognized as a standard of care for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in guidelines from numerous credible national organizations, including the US National Institutes of Health and Infectious Diseases Society of America, Japan, UK, and Germany.” It added that there are “multiple randomized, controlled studies published in peer-reviewed journals that demonstrate the clinical benefits of Veklury.” (The New York Times)
