Remdesivir
Trial and error: How scientists studied drugs touted to treat COVID-19
Eyewitness News looks back on one of the drugs that was famously touted - even by people in influence - as part of a treatment regimen for COVID-19.
The United States, the European Union and other countries have granted temporary approval for the use of remdesivir after initial research showed it may shorten recovery time in some coronavirus patients.
Interim results from the WHO's Solidarity Therapeutics Trial show four drugs in a multinational study have little or no effect on 28-day mortality or the in-hospital clinical outcomes of severely ill, hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump was receiving the anti-viral drug remdesivir following consultation with specialists. The president was 'not requiring any supplemental oxygen,' she said in a statement late Friday.
The setback came as the WHO also reported more than 200,000 new cases globally of the disease for the first time in a single day.
The company also said it planned to start trials of an easier-to-use inhaled version of the antiviral drug, currently administered only intravenously, by August.
Remdesivir, which is administered intravenously in hospital, is the first drug to show improvement in COVID-19 patients in formal clinical trials and is at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19.
The drug forms part of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) solidarity trial, an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for the virus.
The announcement comes two weeks after the EMA head told the European Parliament it may give an initial green light for sale of remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment.
More than 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines are being developed, including several in clinical trials. The WHO said in April a vaccine would take at least 12 months.
The finding represents the first time any medication has been shown to improve outcomes against the COVID-19 illness, which has claimed more than 220,000 lives globally and ground the world economy to a halt.