- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
Trump promoted these drugs against covid-19 and stopped abruptly 1:51
(CNN) - The results of a study investigating the antiviral drug remdesivir from the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences as a treatment for covid-19 were published on Thursday on the World Health Organization website "prematurely" and showed "inconclusive" results, according to the biotechnology company.
The information is no longer on the WHO website.
Today, information from the first clinical study evaluating antiviral remdesivir in an investigation in patients with severe covid-19 disease in China was published prematurely on the website of the World Health Organization. This information has been removed as the study researchers did not give permission for the results to be published. Furthermore, we believe the publication included inappropriate characterizations of the study, ”Dr. Merdad Parsey, medical director of Gilead Sciences, said in a statement on Twitter.
- FDA warns of serious side effects associated with drugs Trump has promoted to treat coronavirus
"The study was terminated prematurely due to low enrollment and, as a result, had little power to allow statistically significant conclusions," Parsey said in the tweet. As such, the study results are inconclusive, although the trends in the data suggest a potential benefit for remdesivir, particularly among patients treated at an early stage of the disease. We understand that the available data has been submitted for peer-reviewed publication, which will provide more detailed information from this study in the near future. ”
STAT published a screenshot of the study description published on the WHO website on Thursday. The description in the screenshot notes that the study, which involved 237 patients, found that "the use of remdesivir was not associated with a difference in time to clinical improvement" and "in this study of adult patients severely hospitalized with covid -19 which ended prematurely, remdesivir was not associated with clinical or virological benefits. "
CNN has contacted WHO for comment.
- Without a vaccine, the United States could face a "new normal," says former CDC director
Gilead's statement this Thursday said there are multiple ongoing Phase III studies designed to help gather additional data needed to determine the potential of remdesivir as a treatment for covid-19.
"These studies will help inform who to treat, when to treat, and how long to deal with remdesivir," the statement said. "The studies are either fully enrolled for primary analysis or are on track to fully enroll in the near future."
Remdesivir has been used in some animal studies to treat coronaviruses similar to the new coronavirus that causes covid-19.
As of this Friday, more than 872,000 cases of covid-19 have been reported in the United States. with more than 50,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Currently, there is no treatment for covid-19 approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. While doctors are testing various treatments, it is not yet known whether they will work.
The FDA has said 72 active trials are ongoing, with another 211 in the planning stages as of April 19.
covid-19