Update: New Phase III Data Show 5 Days of Remdesivir May Improve COVID-19 Outcomes

We’ve cycled through any number of possible treatments for patients with COVID-19, some more likely to succeed than others. The latest regimen to show promise, according to an open-label, Phase III study just published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, is a 5-day course of remdesivir. The authors posit that it could significantly improve outcomes for patients with “moderate” COVID-19. The study’s population was 600 hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 and moderate COVID-19 pneumonia, enrolled between March 15 and April 18, 2020 at 105 hospitals in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Subjects received either standard care (the definition of which varied by locale), a 5-day course of remdesivir 200 mg on day 1 and 100 mg per day on subsequent days, or a 10-day course of remdesivir dosed in the same manner. Patients were assessed throughout the course of treatment and beyond. By day 14, the 5- and 10-day remdesivir groups experienced both better outcomes and fewer serious adverse events compared with the standard-care group. Ultimately, the researchers determined that there was no significant difference in outcomes between the 5-day and 10-day remdesivir groups.