Remdesivir is not a magic bullet, says AIIMS chief

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All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Monday said that the anti-viral drug Remdesivir is not a magic bullet. According to him, the drug could in fact cause harm if given too early or too late.</p>
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"It's important to understand that Remdesivir isn't a magic bullet and isn't a drug that decreases mortality. We may use it as we don't have an anti-viral drug. It's of no use if given early to asymptomatic individuals/those with mild symptoms. It's also of no use if given late," he pointed out.</p>
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Remdesivir should only be given to patients who are hospitalised, have a fall in oxygen saturation and have infiltrates on the chest X-ray or CT-scan," the AIIMS Director said.</p>
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"In the last one year of COVID management, we have learnt that two things are most important – drugs and timing of drugs. If you give them too early or late, it would cause harm. Giving a cocktail of drugs on day 1 can kill your patient and would be more harmful.”</p>
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Interestingly, the WHO had in November last year issued a conditional recommendation against the use of Remdesivir in hospitalized patients. It had said “currently there is no evidence that Remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients.”</p>
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This recommendation, released on 20 November, is part of a living guideline on clinical care for COVID-19. It was developed by an international guideline development group, which includes 28 clinical care experts, 4 patient-partners and one ethicist.</p>
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The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the non-profit Magic Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC), which provided methodologic support. The guidelines are an innovation, matching scientific standards with the speed required to respond to an ongoing pandemic.</p>