WHO Recommends Against Use of Remdesivir for COVID-19 Regardless of Disease Severity

Geneva, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) — The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement on the 20th saying that the antiviral drug remdesivir is not recommended for treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients, regardless of the severity of their condition, as there is currently no evidence that the drug improves patient survival rates or reduces the need for ventilators.

The statement said that a WHO guideline development group composed of international experts published an article in The BMJ on the 20th, pointing out that remdesivir is increasingly being used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but its role in clinical practice remains unclear.

The expert panel reached the above conclusion after evaluating and comparing the efficacy of several COVID-19 drugs. The evaluation covered four international randomized trials, involving data from more than 7,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The expert panel noted that although remdesivir cannot be deemed entirely ineffective to date, existing data fail to demonstrate that the drug significantly improves therapeutic outcomes in patients. Taking into account the potential for serious adverse effects, as well as its high cost and substantial resource consumption, the panel decided against recommending the use of this drug. However, it also supported the continuation of evaluations of remdesivir to provide robust evidence for its use in specific patient populations.

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in the United States, originally intended for the treatment of diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). In October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved remdesivir for hospital use in adult patients with COVID-19 and in pediatric patients aged 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms, making it the first drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of COVID-19.