Remdesivir May be Dropped From COVID-19 Treatment Soon, Says Ganga Ram Hospital Chairperson | Here’s Why

Ganga Ram hospital Chairperson Dr. DS Rana said that Remdesivir is also being considered to be dropped from COVID-19 treatment soon as there is no evidence of its effectiveness in treating COVID-19 patients.

New Delhi: Remdesivir, considered one of the most vital medicines to treat severe cases of Coronavirus, may be dropped from the COVID-19 treatment soon as there is no evidence on the effectiveness of the infection in the cure of the viral disease, Ganga Ram hospital Chairperson Dr DS Rana said. If the drug is to be dropped from the treatment, the move will follow convalescent plasma which was recently removed from the recommended treatment protocols for COVID -19 following an advisory from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

“In plasma therapy, we give a pre-forwarded antibody to someone who has been infected before, so that the antibody can fight with the virus. Antibodies usually form when the coronavirus attacks. We have seen in the last one year that giving plasma does not make any difference in the condition of the patient and other people. Also, it is not easily available. Plasma therapy was started on a scientific basis and has been discontinued on the basis of evidence,” Ganga Ram hospital Chairperson Dr. DS Rana, told news agency ANI on Tuesday.

“If we talk about other medicines which we use in COVID treatment, there is no such evidence regarding Remdesivir that works in Covid-19 treatment. Medicines that do not have any activity to work, will have to be discontinued,” said Dr. Rana.

“All the experimental medicines, be plasma therapy (which is now discontinued) or Remdesivir, all of them may be dropped soon as there is no such evidence of its functioning. Right now only three medicines are working”, Dr. Rana said.

“Right now, we all are examining and monitoring. The medical fraternity is trying to gather more information, by the time you gain full knowledge about this pandemic, I think it will be over”, he said.

Remdesivir is a patented drug, manufactured in India under voluntary licenses granted by patent holder Gilead Life Sciences US to seven Indian pharmaceutical companies –Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s Lab, Hetero, Jubilant Pharma, Mylan, Syngene, and Zydus Cadila.