Gilead drug showing efficacy in severe coronavirus patients in clinical trial

Reports from the University of Chicago school of medicine indicate that the antiviral medication remdesivir is showing significant promise in treating severely ill coronavirus patients.

The drug, produced by Gilead Sciences, was given to 125 people with the coronavirus at the university’s hospital. At least 113 of the cases were understood to be severe. All patients were treated with daily infusions of remdesivir.

Most of the patients in the trial have already been discharged from the hospital, typically leaving at the six-day mark, which indicates to medical professionals that the duration of the drug therapy doesn’t necessarily have to be a 10-day cycle.

“We have seen people come off ventilators a day after starting therapy. So, in that realm, overall our patients have done very well,” said Kathleen Mullane, the infectious disease specialist overseeing the trial.

The University of Chicago trial group is only part of Gilead’s severe coronavirus study, which includes 2,4000 patients at 152 clinical trial sites globally. However, the Chicago results were the first available and are encouraging signs of hope for the drug.

Mullane additionally emphasized that it will be important to see data from randomized control studies, which incorporate placebo groups, before drawing any scientific conclusions.