(CNN) ––
The antiviral drug remdesivir has "little or no effect on the mortality of hospitalized patients" with covid-19.
This was reported this Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO).
And it doesn't seem to help patients recover faster, he added.
The WHO noted that this is "conclusive evidence" for remdesivir, and the findings are disappointing.
Until now, remdesivir was the only drug that appeared to have specific effects for the coronavirus.
Additionally, it was the only medicine with an emergency use authorization specifically for COVID-19 from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The results of the WHO study have not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
But the agency sent them to a prepress server.
READ: What we know about remdesivir
The WHO study evaluated remdesivir and three other drugs: hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir / ritonavir, and interferon.
None of them helped patients live longer or reduce their hospital stay.
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The trial was able to generate conclusive evidence on the impact of the drugs on mortality, the need for artificial respiration and the length of hospital stay, according to the WHO press office.
"For each drug in the study, the effect on mortality was disappointingly unpromising," the WHO statement stated.
Before the WHO study, a large controlled trial of remdesivir in the US found that the drug reduces recovery time by about a third in seriously ill hospitalized adults with COVID-19, but does little to help those with cases. milder.
The manufacturer of remdesivir, Gilead, did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment on the WHO study.
Covid-19 Deaths from coronavirus Pandemic remdesivir