Coronavirus Update 113: Remdesivir May Not Work for COVID 19

Professor Roger Seheult, MD explains the largest study to date on Remdesivir that casts doubt on its effectiveness as a treatment for COVID-19. The WHO SOLIDARITY trial data was released on October 15, 2020 and included 11,266 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and evaluated remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon. None of the medications studied showed a statistically significant benefit (This video was recorded on October 15, 2020).

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Roger Seheult, MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.
Associate Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine

Video Produced by Kyle Allred

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#COVID19 #SARSCoV2

[geraldn.]

Perhaps the drugs need to be given immediately after testing positive ( like the president), and not wait until a drop on SpO2 suggests pneumonia?

[AC-ummk]

The WHO brand is so tarnished now ... how can anyone believe anything they say in any direction?

[mufbhbi]

Why in the WHO Solidarity Trial design, did they use antivirals during a transition from viral replication to immune dysregulation, cytokine activation and inflammation stage? I do not understand their timing of administering antiviral therapeutics at the tail end of the viral replication stage of the disease dynamics. Was their intent trying to show late antiviral treatment intervention is less effective than early immediate intervention?

[ljmetsplayonplaya]

I'm on my 5th dose of remdesevir. I have vastly improved and am due to be discharged tonight. I have taken zinc, blood thinner and steroids. When I came in I couldn't walk to the bathroom. This morning I did 100 jumping jacks and 60 push-ups.

[YourWingmam]

Did they use these therapeutics early enough *and did they use zinc, vitamin C & vitamin D?*

[fazdoll]

Here we go again. 🙄 Any kind of early intervention is frowned on, even for a study. Instead, it's "oh look you're positive. Go home, eat some chicken soup, and call us when you're REALLY sick and it's too late for the drugs to work." 🙄

[davidsweeney]

Intuitively, this makes sense - initially when the virus is replicating antivirals are useful but when enetering the inflammatory phase (when only virus remnants are present) the huge cytokine response is treatable with steroids not remdesivir. So this makes sense remdesivir isnt useful in the later stages of the disease progression.

[HeyMJ.]

Remdesivir seems more like the therapeutic ‘Tamiflu’; reducing duration of viral illness when administered early-on at onset.

[surfdocer]

I would love to see a study where Quercetin or Quercetin and zinc was used as an effective prophylactic for SARS 2. It should stop the influx of a significant viral load.

[bipulkumar]

In our experience, if treatment is promptly initiated as soon as suspicion of covid is made, that decision makes a significant difference.
Also, I'd like to mention that ivermectin +doxycycline +famotidine +indomethacin +zinc+vitamin c+ vitamin D is definitely making difference in patients symptoms and comfort..
Since I don't have statistical data I can only share my overall experience..

[fortyfour]

after decades of respecting and trusting the WHO as a person who works in am I suddenly so grossly skeptical of anything they participate in and get their hands on. I need to work on trusting them again.

[cupotkaable]

After previous 3 RTCs, which didn't show any effect on mortality, why did anyone still think it's somehow useful? Amazing!

[JeppinGreenMachine]

My father is high risk, elderly, COPD and heart issues. He is 12 days in today in recovering from Covid and received Remdesivir on day 3. It saved his life and he is recovering.
Just my family’s experience.

[adrianclark]

Well one plus side to this pandemic is that a lot of people have become experts in pharmacology and drug development studies. Can't wait for all the medical breakthroughs that are going to occur in the next coming years. :D

[clairerobinson]

Never thought much of Remdesivir. Still waiting for HCQ, mild moderate with zinc. Why is this so hard?

[cathie]

I thought Remdesvire was only for the first stage of Covid Not late stages.

[KhaledTheSaudiHawkII]

Roger, could you please give us update on the ongoing studies on NAC and its potential as a mitigating factor to the inflammation caused by SARS-CoV2? A general overview would be great. Thanks.

[fraukatze]

It would seem that if it helps, it doesn’t help much. The second study was pretty big.

[o.aldenproductions.]

Hope you’re doing good Dr. Have there been any study on effectiveness of vitamin D and Zinc and also the blood groups?

[kasuha]

The main problem I see here is seeing such results black and white: If it's better than 0.95, it works 100%, if it's worse than 0.95, it does not work at all. That's silly. Remdesivir is apparently a drug that makes things marginally better. And its effect is so marginal that the size of the group needed to make this difference statistically significant was not met yet. I don't think it's right to say Remdesivir does not work. I think it's right to say that its benefits are so marginal that it may not be worth it using it.