Drug vignettes: Remdesivir, CEBM

The results of the compassionate-use programme for remdesivir suggest, but do not prove, that the benefits of remdesivir may outweigh the harms it might cause. It is reminiscent of the early case reports of the success of penicillin in infective endocarditis. However, the mortality rate from COVID-19 is, by the standards of acute infective endocarditis, relatively low, and so an open, uncontrolled trial will never be able to define the benefits or harms. In human subjects, the results of randomized, controlled trials have yet to show that remdesivir affects mortality in the short-term, although one study did show that patients randomized to remdesivir treatment recovered more rapidly.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news