What is remdesivir and is Donald Trump’s coronavirus medicine used in UK?

Photo of Donald Trump next to photo of remdesivir vial
Donald Trump is taking remdesivir to treat coronavirus (Pictures: AP)

President Donald Trump has been taken to a military hospital as his coronavirus symptoms worsen.

The President revealed on Twitter yesterday that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the virus.

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said that Trump is taking remdesivir and is doing ‘very well.’

But what is remdesivir, does it treat Covid-19, and is it available in the UK?

What is Remdesivir?

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Remdesivir was created in 2009 by Gilead Sciences Inc., and was originally intended to be used to treat hepatitis C. However, it was discovered that the drug was very good at curing viruses.

In 2014, it was studied as a possible treatment for the Ebola virus.

A lab technician holds a box of Remdesivir.
Remdesivir was originally invented as a way to treat hepatitis C (Picture: REUTERS)

Researchers later found remdesivir is effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

However, the studies were only done in test tubes and on animals, not in humans.

The drug prevents the virus from producing a particular enzyme that allows the virus to replicate itself and spread – and so it eventually dies off.

In May 2020, remdesivir became the first drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Covid-19.

In the US, the drug is given to patients with severe coronavirus symptoms for ten days.

Does remdesivir actually help to cure coronavirus?

The effectiveness of remdesivir is widely debated by scientists.

A Chinese study published in The Lancet found that the drug didn’t improve recovery time or reduce mortality compared to people taking a placebo.

But another report published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that remdesivir shortened recovery time for people by four days, from 15 to 11.

Is remdesivir used in the UK?

After being approved for use in the UK at the end of May, health officials announced that the drug will be available to ‘selected NHS patients’ only.

The Department of Health said in a statement: ‘The drug will be used in adults and adolescents hospitalised with severe Covid-19 infection who meet clinical criteria suggesting they have the greatest likelihood of benefiting.’

The UK is having to ration its remdesivir resources, as the US decided to stockpile the drug in July.

Donald Trump’s administration bought the next 500,000 doses of the anti-viral treatment from manufacturer Gilead, leaving none for the rest of the world.

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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/03/what-is-remdesivir-donald-trump-coronavirus-medicine-used-in-uk-13365104/
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