Gilead’s remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization panel said on Friday.The panel found “a lack of evidence that remdesivir improved outcomes that matter to patients,” the guideline said.”Especially given the costs and resource implications associated with remdesivir … the panel felt the responsibility should be on demonstrating evidence of efficacy, which is not established by the currently available data.”The WHO said it has suspended remdesivir from its so-called prequalification list, an official list of medicines used as a benchmark for procurement by developing countries, after issuing the guidance.”Yes we have suspended it from the PQ [prequalification list],” Tarik Jasarevic said in an emailed response to Reuters. “The suspension is a signal to countries that WHO, in compliance with the treatment guidelines, does not recommend countries procure the drug for COVID.”The advice is another setback for the drug, which grabbed worldwide attention as a potentially effective treatment for COVID-19 in the summer after early trials showed some promise.The antiviral, known by the brand name Veklury, is one of only two medicines currently authorized to treat COVID-19 patients across the world. But a large WHO-led trial known as the Solidarity Trial showed last month that it had little or no effect on 28-day mortality or length of hospital stays for COVID-19 patients.
Source: WHO advises against treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with remdesivir | CBC News
