Real-life experience with remdesivir for treatment of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients: matched case-control study from a large tertiary hospital registry.

AIM: To evaluate the association of remdesivir use and the survival of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 5959 COVID-19 patients admitted to our tertiary-level hospital from March 2020 to June 2021. A total of 876 remdesivir-treated patients were matched with 876 control patients in terms of age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), WHO-defined COVID-19 severity on admission, and oxygen requirement at the time of remdesivir use. RESULTS: Among 1752 COVID-19 patients (median age 66 years, 61.8% men), 1405 (80.2%) had severe and 311 (17.8%) had critically severe COVID-19 on admission. Remdesivir was given at a median of one day after hospital admission and at a median of eight days from the onset of symptoms. Overall, 645 (73.6%) patients received remdesivir before high-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) or mechanical ventilation (MV), 198 (22.6%) after HFOT institution, and 83 (9.5%) after MV institution. Remdesivir use was associated with improved survival in the entire cohort (hazard ratio 0.79, P=0.006). Survival benefit was evident among patients receiving remdesivir during low-flow oxygen requirement (hazard ratio 0.61, P<0.001) but not among patients who received it after starting HFOT (P=0.499) or MV (P=0.380). CONCLUSION: Remdesivir, if given during low-flow oxygen therapy, might be associated with survival benefit in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Pharmacists' role, work practices, and safety measures against COVID-19: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a great challenge to health systems and their most accessible assets-community pharmacies. Pharmacists faced many challenges such as incorporating safety measures, changes in working schedule and workload, and meeting specific patients' needs. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore and compare the community pharmacists' roles, practices, implemented safety measures, and psychological toll in Croatia and Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study employing an online survey was conducted in 2 countries over a period of 6 weeks during 2020. The survey consisted of 65 items that explored sociodemographic characteristics of participants and their workplaces, including safety measures, pharmaceutical care, and their psychology while working during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: In total, 574 pharmacists participated in the study, of which, 90% were female, with a mean age of 38 years (interquartile range 30.5-47). The study identified new pharmacists' roles that evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic: manufacturing hand sanitizers in community pharmacies, online patient counseling, and home delivery of medicines. Croatian and Serbian pharmacists exhibited disparities in their incorporated safety measures (higher for Croatia; P ≤ 0.001) and satisfaction with work organization and counseling activities (higher for Serbia; P < 0.001). Serbian participants were less satisfied with the public perception of their role during the pandemic, and overall satisfaction was low, with a negative impact on mood and productivity. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed the implications for community pharmacists during the pandemic in both countries. The extent of systematic and logistical support provided to them during the pandemic could be an explanation for the highlighted differences. It is imperative to develop a more effective strategy to counter potential health crises to ensure a better response from primary care pharmacists in the future.