What does this research mean for the field?

Remdesivir does not reduce complications or mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 compared to standard medical therapy. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONFIRMATORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to assess the short-term outcomes of remdesivir in treating severe COVID-19.

February 26, 2026Open Access

The Role of Remdesivir in the Treatment of Severe COVID-19

Key Points

This study aims to assess the short-term outcomes of remdesivir in treating severe COVID-19.
Multi-center non-randomized controlled design
Included 100 patients confirmed with COVID-19 via RT-PCR
Patients divided into intervention (remdesivir) and control groups
Clinical and biochemical data compared pre- and post-treatment
Kaplan–Meier analysis for survival assessment
Mean patient age was 57.3±12.6 years; 54% men and 46% women
Mortality rate was 52% among participants
Significant improvement in oxygen saturation and fever in both groups post-treatment (P<0.001)
No significant differences in complications or mortality between groups after treatment
D-dimer levels were significantly different (P=0.008)

Abstract

Export Objective: COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) is an unusual public health disaster brought on by the coronavirus-2 that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome. Remdesivir, an antiviral, is one of the drugs used to treat COVID-19. Regrettably, the outcomes of the studies assessing remdesivir have been varied. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term outcome of using remdesivir in the treatment of severe COVID-19. Methods: This multi-center non-randomized controlled study was conducted at Al-Imamain Al-Kadhimain Medical City, Dar Al-Salam 1 Field Hospital, Al-Kindi Teaching Hospital and Economic Council hospital from March 2021 to May 2022. It includes one hundred patients with confirmed COVID-19 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and (computed tomography) CT chest. Patients were allocated to either the intervention (N=50) or the control group (N=50). Clinical and biochemical data were compared before and after treatment and between the two group. Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.3±12.6 years; 54% were men and 46% were women. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (55%), followed by diabetes (49%) and obesity (22%). The rate of mortality from the infection was 52% in this study. Both the intervention and the control groups showed a significant improvement in oxygen saturation (SpO2) and fever after treatment (P-value < 0.001). After treatment, when comparing the study groups, no statistically significant difference was found regarding the number of complications, mortality, the presence of fever and tachypnea, the severity of dyspnea, and SpO2 measurement. Also, biochemical parameters included in this study did not differ between the intervention and the control groups except for D-dimer (P-value=0.008). Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted, and overall mean survival time was 18.6 days. Comparing the trend for survival in the intervention and the control groups, no statistical difference between them was found (log-rank test, P-value=0.99). Conclusion: In conclusion, although remdesivir showed significant clinical improvement in patients with severe form of COVID-19, our study inferred that it is not superior to standard medical therapy in reducing the rate of complications and mortality among those patients with severe infection.

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Cite This Study

K et al. (Wed,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/699fe44895ddcd3a253e87ed https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4103/abmj.abmj_30_24

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