First effective coronavirus treatment found and set to be approved for patients
First effective coronavirus treatment found and set to be approved for patients
metro.co.uk
Apr 29, 2020 7:44 PM
White House immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci has announced the discovery of the first effective coronavirus treatment, which is set to be approved for use later today. Speaking at the White House Wednesday, Dr Fauci said worldwide tests on anti-viral drug Remdesivir showed it had a ‘clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery’ for Covid-19 patients who were treated with it.
He continued: ‘This is really quite important for a number of reasons, it’s highly significant.’ Dr Fauci said the average recovery time in patients given Remdesivir was 11 days, compared to 15 days for Covid-19 patients assigned the placebo, equivalent to a 31% improvement.
He added: ‘What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus. Looking forward, we think this is very optimistic. The mortality rate trended towards being better – 8% (of people given Remdesivir later died) versus 11% (who died after being given the placebo)’ Dr Fauci said Remdesivir’s early success was announced for ethical reasons, to give patients currently suffering from coronavirus a better chance of being treated with a drug now known to be effective.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now announce Remdesivir as an emergency treatment for Covid-19 sufferers in the United States as early as later today.
BREAKING: the drug Remdesivir “has a clear cut significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery” for COVID19 patients, says Dr. Anthony Fauci. It blocks an enzyme the virus uses.
Fauici: there was an ethical obligation to let people know.
pic.twitter.com/X7fScFNY0g— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) April 29, 2020
The immunologist referenced the battle to find an effective treatment for HIV during the 1980s – which he as a key part of. He added that Remdesivir could potentially be combined with other drugs to yield even better results, just like a combination of medicines have been used to successfully treat HIV.
Dr Fauci’s announcement marks the first big breakthrough in the race to find an effective treatment for coronavirus. He spoke while flanked by a smiling Dr Deborah Birx – the White House coronavirus task force’s coordinator, and President Trump.
Dr Fauci has repeatedly urged caution after President Trump hailed Remdesivir and anti-malaria treatment hydroxychloroquine as potentially powerful Covid-19 treatments, with Wednesday’s announcement his most optimistic announcement since the outbreak began.
Dr Fauci explained that the trial had been conducted by the US National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, of which he is director. It sponsored the trial, which began on February 21 and involved some patients being given a placebo – dummy treatment – while others were given Remdesivir itself. He described the trial as ‘highly-powered,’ with 1,090 patients given either the drug or the placebo across the world, including in Germany, Greece, Denmark and the UK.
Dr Fauci said independent auditors judged the success of Remdesivir on how quickly it helped coronavirus patients recover. He stressed that Remdesivir is a treatment for people who have already been diagnosed with Covid-19, rather than a cure for the disease, or a preventative to stop it from developing in the first place. Dr Fauci said the race to develop a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 continues, with teams across the world attempting to formulate an effective shot.
Remdesivir was developed by drug company Gilead as an experimental anti-viral treatment it was hoped would treat Ebola. It failed to do so, but now appears to be the first drug that can help Covid-19 patients recover from the new virus
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Buhari Govt reveal reasons for increase in COVID-19 cases
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has explained the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases recorded in Nigeria.
Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Task Force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, explained that the surge in cases was due to the expansion of the testing capacities and activities.
Speaking during the Task Force daily briefing in Abuja yesterday, Mustapha said there were evidence of community spread.
He stated that government had introduced the door-to-door testing in some communities in Lagos and Abuja.
According to Mustapha: “Considering the dynamic nature of the response plan, the strategy for testing has been modified and door-to-door testing is now taking place in some communities in Lagos and Abuja.
“Testing, detection, isolation, care and case management remain central to our success in this fight.”
“The situation in Kano continues to be of concern and the PTF is working in close contact with the state government to arrest the situation. The PTF will update you as soon as there are new developments,” he stated.
As at Wednesday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, had confirmed 91 new COVID-19 cases in Nigeria.
This brings the tally of confirmed cases to 873 in Nigeria.












