Although clinical trials have shown that Remdesivir isn’t very useful in treating Covid-19, recent research has shown that it does inhibit Coronavirus activity. This apparent inconsistency adds to the antiviral drug’s skepticism. While Covid-19 vaccines were produced ten times faster than conventional drugs, they passed phase-3 clinical trials, which determine whether a new medication is both safe and successful in thousands of people.
Remdesivir is an experimental drug developed by Gilead Sciences in cooperation with the US Centres for Disease Control and the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (under the brand name Veklury). It’s one of a number of drug candidates developed in response to the threat of emerging diseases are caused by RNA viruses that could lead to global pandemics.
Remdesivir does not protect against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Antivirals like Remdesivir seek to interrupt the virus’s ability to multiply, delay its spread, and give the body more time to establish immunity, while a vaccine is intended to prompt your immune system to recognize the spike protein that causes Coronavirus to enter cells — and protect people from infection.
Despite its high cost and ineffectiveness in treating Covid, remdesivir’s true value could be in assisting researchers in developing more effective medicines.
Text by: Ankita Dutta, IBTN9
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