New data from a clinical trial of remdesivir show that five days of treatment is as effective as 10, at least for most patients. That means limited supplies of the experimental drug can go further, treating more patients with fewer doses.
The findings were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, but they’re not particularly surprising. Gilead Sciences, the maker of remdesivir and the trial’s sponsor, already announced results in an April news release.
At the time, the company’s chief medical officer, Dr. Merdad Parsey, said the study “demonstrates the potential for some patients to be treated with a 5-day regimen, which could significantly expand the number of patients who could be treated with our current supply of remdesivir.”
The new data lends weight to Gilead’s claims. Importantly, the study didn’t focus on patients who needed mechanical ventilation. Researchers said those patients – among the sickest – may still benefit from a full 10 days.
The trial also didn’t include a placebo group, which means it couldn’t determine whether remdesivir is effective. Instead, it answered the question: If remdesivir works, is five days as good as 10?
A larger trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health showed that remdesivir is in fact better than a placebo. The drug didn’t have a significant effect on mortality, but it shortened patients’ hospital stays by about four days.
More on this: While it’s far from a home run, remdesivir is one of the few tools doctors have to fight Covid-19, and hospitals in the US have been forced to ration limited supplies. Gilead, for its part, says it is ramping up production, and the company has also partnered with other manufacturers to produce the drug internationally.