The US National Institute of Health on Wednesday said that an experimental drug, Remdesvir, has proved effective against the new Coronavirus disease.
According to the White House health advisor and top US infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, data collected from the Coronavirus drug trial with Remdesivir showed ‘quite good news’ and has set a new standard of care for COVID-19 patients.
Fauci said that the study led by the US National Institute of Health, showed that the drug shortens the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average, and it is the first drug to pass such a strict test against the virus.
He also said that the drug led to fewer deaths among COVID-19 patients.
“What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.
“This will be the standard of care,” he added.
CNN reports that Dr. Mark Denison, a professor at Vanderbilt University whose laboratory first tested Remdesivir, said they were excited and optimistic that the drug will be effective.
“It is active against every Coronavirus that we have ever tested.
“It was very hard for the virus to develop resistance to Remdesivir.
“That means the drug would likely be effective over longer-term use,” he said.
A statement from the US Food and Drug Administration also states that the agency has been talking with California-based Gilead regarding making Remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible.