A Review on Utilisation of Remdesivir in Treating Covid – 19: Therapeutic Repurposing and Unmet Clinical Needs

ABSTRACT

Remdesivir is the first drug that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)for clinical use in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 illness. Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral agent that has previously demonstrated antiviral activity against filoviruses (Ebola viruses, Marburg virus), coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-Co-V, SARS-CoV-2), paramyxoviruses and Pnemoviridae. Remdesivir was initially developed against the Ebola virus based on its antiviralproperties demonstrated in vitro and in vivo in animal models but failed to demonstrate efficacy inrandomized clinical trials. Remdesivir was shown to exhibit antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro studies, and it was proposed as an investigational drug early during the pandemic. However, based on data from randomized clinical trials that demonstrated superior clinical efficacy of remdesivir to placebo, remdesivir is the first and only available therapeutic drug that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use in the management ofpatients with severe suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger what doctors call a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).It spreads the same way other coronaviruses do, mainly through person-to-person contact. Infections range from mild to deadly.