Giving COVID-19 patients at high risk of developing severe disease a three-day course of remdesivir within a week of experiencing symptoms reduced hospitalizations 87 percent in a clinical trial, Gilead said Sept. 22.
The international trial involved 562 nonhospitalized patients who were age 60 or older or had one or more risk factors known to increase the likelihood of severe COVID-19. All trial participants were required to have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis within four days of initiating the treatment and to have experienced symptoms for seven days or less.
The investigators also found that remdesivir can be safely administered in patients' homes or residential care facilities, according to Bloomberg.
Remdesivir, an injectable drug branded by Gilead as Veklury, is the first and only drug to receive full FDA approval to treat COVID-19. It was approved Oct. 22, 2020.
Sales of remdesivir have fallen in recent months amid the rise in COVID-19 vaccinations and the use of alternative treatments, such as monoclonal antibody drugs, Bloomberg reported.
Read Gilead's full news release here.