Evaluation of Outpatient Remdesivir Infusion for Treatment of COVID-19 Patients

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of remdesivir for treating COVID-19 has been demonstrated, but a limited number of studies have specifically examined the effectiveness of outpatient administration of remdesivir. METHODS: This prospective observational study evaluated the effects of a 5-day remdesivir regimen in outpatients with COVID-19, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with symptoms <7 days before enrollment. The treatment consisted of outpatient infusion of 200 mg remdesivir on day 1, followed by 100 mg for 4 days. The primary endpoint was to determine the success rate, and the secondary endpoint included evaluating the safety of administering remdesivir in an outpatient setting. RESULTS: In this study, 316 noncritical cases of COVID-19 received outpatient remdesivir treatment. Ten patients required hospitalization during the 5-day treatment period, while the remaining 306 patients either experienced improvement or maintained a stable clinical condition. Between days 5 and 14, five additional patients were hospitalized due to clinical deterioration, and one of them eventually died. By day 28, among the 297 patients with complete follow-up data, only one had died (0.3%), and the rest experienced general well-being (99.7%). Nine patients (2.8%) experienced mild adverse effects, primarily a temporary elevation in liver enzymes. No serious drug-related adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that ambulatory remdesivir treatment for less severe cases of COVID-19 is a safe modality that can significantly reduce hospitalization rates and the strain on healthcare resources.