Update: Remdesivir May Be More Effective, More Quickly Than Previously Thought in COVID-19

A few months ago, we shared the findings of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicating that a 5-day course of remdesivir improved outcomes for hospitalized patients with “moderate-to-severe” COVID-19. Further study by another group of researchers now shows that a 3-day course reduced risk for hospitalization or death in patients with COVID-19 and certain comorbidities but who had not yet been hospitalized with the virus. The latest study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, focused on nonhospitalized patients who experienced initial symptoms within the previous 7 days and who had at least one risk factor for disease progression, including being at least 60 years of age or being obese, among others. Of the 562 subjects, 279 received remdesivir 200 mg on Day 1 and 100 mg on Day 2 and Day 3; 283 participants were assigned to the placebo group. Two patients in the remdesivir group were either hospitalized or died from COVID-19 compared with 15 in the placebo group. Overall, the authors concluded that the 3-day course of remdesivir resulted in 87% lower risk for hospitalization or death due to COVID-19.