- Before, remdesivir was recommended for all patients with Covid-19, but now this is no longer the case.
- In our country, the drug has the permission of Cofepris.
- Counterfeit versions of the drug have been found in countries like Mexico.
During the last two years, research has increased to design new tools to deal with the current pandemic. The most notorious advance is the vaccine, but it does not mean that it is the only one. Other drugs that were already available but that work in some infected people have also been identified. Within the list is the remdesivir that has shown satisfactory results in some Covid-19 patients.
In that sense, it is necessary to remember that this antiviral drug was originally created for cases of hepatitis C. It has been available on the market for several years, but recent studies have shown that it is also useful against this new strain of coronavirus.
After several investigations the Remdesivir was one of the first drugs to receive authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in Covid-19 patients. From that moment on, different health authorities followed the same path. Within the list are the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris).
Types of patients with Covid-19 who are recommended to use remdesivir
For its part, within the field of health, knowledge must always be updated. With this in mind, The WHO published the new indications for the use of this antiviral in patients.
Previously, the WHO had suggested against its use in all COVID-19 patients, regardless of disease severity, because the totality of the evidence at the time showed little or no effect on mortality.
Following the publication of new data from a clinical trial that looked at the outcome of hospital admission, the WHO updated its recommendation. It now suggests the use of remdesivir in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of hospitalization.
While the recommendation for the use of remdesivir in patients with severe or critical COVID-19 is currently under review.
đź“Ł WHO has also updated its recommendation on remdesivir, another antiviral medicine. It now suggests the use of remdesivir in mild or moderate #COVID19 patients, at high risk of hospitalization.https://t.co/y9ATVJzsjX
— Mayur Bichewar (@iamaur7) April 22, 2022
Another important change announced by the WHO
These changes are added to the Authorization to use the combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, sold under the name Paxlovid, for patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 at increased risk of hospitalization.
In this case, Pfizer’s oral antiviral drug is strongly recommended for patients with non-severe COVID-19 who are at highest risk of developing severe illness and hospitalization. This list includes unvaccinated, elderly or immunocompromised patients.
This recommendation is based on new data from two randomized controlled trials involving 3,078 patients. The data shows that the risk of hospitalization is reduced by 85% after this treatment. In a high-risk group (greater than 10% risk of hospitalization), that means 84 fewer hospitalizations per 1,000 patients.
At the same time, the highest health authority adds that it should not be used in patients with low risk of complications. The reason is because the benefits were found to be negligible.