According to reports, Ganga Ram hospital Chairperson Dr. DS Rana has said that Remdesivir may dropped soon from Covid-19 treatment soon, after plasma, as there is no evidence of its effectiveness in treating Covid positive patients. Continuous researches and experiments are going on by experts about Coronavirus and the vaccines and drugs to treat positive patients. According to the Union Health Ministry, on Tuesday, India's daily number of COVID-19 cases showed a drop with only 2,63,533 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours and the number of deaths due to COVID-19 were 4,329, the highest number in one day since the Coronavirus pandemic started last year. Onlymyhealth editorial team spoke to Dr. Rahul Pandit, Director-Critical Care, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai and Member of Maharashtra’s COVID-19 Taskforce, to know about how remdesivir works and the right way to use it.
How does remdesivir work?
Once the virus enters the human body, it releases its genetic substance, which then multiplies using the body’s existing mechanism. At every stage of infection, different human proteins, virus proteins, and their materials come into play. And at the growing stage, the main viral protein, called RdRp, plays the role of an engine of the virus. Remdesivir directly targets this protein RdRp. With Remdesivir replacing the feeding material it needs, the virus is not able to mutate or grow together.
Things to know about Remdesivir
As per a study by WHO, remdesivir does not help in preventing deaths in Covid patients, but has shown results in reducing the stay in hospital by 1-3 days. It should not be used on patients who are asymptomatic, have mild symptoms or who have severe symptoms and have suffered multi-organ malfunction. But, it can be used between the 2nd and 10th day of contracting the infection to enhance its effectiveness in patients who have moderate or moderate progressing-towards-severe infection.
Also read: Is AstraZeneca's Covid-19 Vaccine Safe For Use? Know What Experts Say
While Remdesivir's effectiveness has countered importance during the pandemic, its supply shortage has created tension and panic among both frontline workers and patients. The shortage is happening due to several reasons such as the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, unnecessary stockpiling, and administration of the drug for to patients with severe infection, and many more. However, with the second wave hitting us greatly, the government banned its export, to make is accessible locally.
Reports: Dr. Rana says Remdesivir may be dropped as Covid treatment
According to reports, Ganga Ram hospital Chairperson Dr DS Rana has said that Remdesivir might also be dropped from Covid-19 treatment soon as there is no evidence on its effectiveness in treating Covid positive patients. Dr. DS Rana said, "If we talk about other medicines which we use in COVID treatment, there is no such evidence regarding Remdesivir that works in Covid-19 treatment. Medicines that do not have any activity to work, will have to be discontinued."
According to reports, he also said that all the experimental treatment options, be plasma therapy (which is now discontinued) or Remdesivir, all of them may be dropped soon as there is no such evidence of their effectiveness. Meanwhile, according to the recent guidelines released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the use of convalescent plasma has been dropped from the recommended treatment options for COVID-19.
Also read: COVID-19: Do You Know How Remdesivir Drug Works In Your Body? Here's When And How You Should Use It
Appropriate way to use remdesivir drug
While the drug has a lot of demand, knowing and understanding about its right usage is important. The course ideally is 6-doses over 5 days (1st day 200mg followed by 100mg for next 4 days), and should not be overused. It should not be prescribed to patients who are asymptomatic, mildly symptomatic or have severe illness with multi organ dysfunction, and the patient should be properly diagnosed before prescribing the drug. It should not be prescribed beyond the 10th day of infection.
Read more articles on Miscellaneous