Gilead's Remdesivir cuts Covid-19 death risk: Study

Remdesivir has brought down the risk of mortality by a significant margin of 54% and 23% in two studies, Gilead said.

A five-day treatment course of Gilead's antiviral drug Remdesivir can reduce mortality rates in hospitalised Covid-19 patients and boost the chances of recovery to the extent of discharge within 28 days, an analysis showed.

Gilead compiled the data from 98,654 patients which are from three retrospective studies of the real-world treatment of hospitalised Covid-19 patients. (AP photo)

Gilead compiled the data from 98,654 patients which are from three retrospective studies of the real-world treatment of hospitalised Covid-19 patients.

Remdesivir has brought down the risk of mortality by a significant margin of 54% and 23% in two studies, Gilead said. The results, the drugmaker said, were consistently observed at different timeframes over the course of the pandemic and across geographies.

Remdesivir has been approved for emergency use in severely-ill patients in the United States, India and South Korea, and has received full approval in Japan.

The drug enjoys approval in the US which has allowed emergency use of three antibody combinations that help the immune system fight the virus. But all the drugs have to be infused at hospitals or medical clinics, and demand has been low due to these logistical hurdles.

In April, Gilead Sciences Inc said it will provide support to new local manufacturing facilities in India and donate active pharmaceutical ingredients to scale up production of its Covid-19 drug Remdesivir.