There may be hope for people suffering severely from COVID-19. On July 28 2020, Health Canada has approved the use of Remdesivir for critically ill COVID-19 patients.
how does it work?
Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that acts as an inhibitor. Basically, the COVID-19 virus uses a protein complex called RdRp to replicate its genetic material and further infect the body. Since Remdesivir inhibits RdRp, the virus can no longer replicate and the infection is impeded.
proof that it works
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 1063 patients suffering from COVID-19. The results of this trial showed that those who took the drug recovered 4 days faster than those who didn’t. They also found that lung infection in treated patients were significantly better than those who didn’t get the treatment.
who can use this drug
This drug isn’t for every COVID-19 case. You need to present severe symptoms such as pneumonia and require extra oxygen to help breathe (respiratory machine). The safety and effectiveness of the drug also needs to be further evaluated. To this end, Health Canada has authorized two clinical trials to gather more data.