The US government has said it was working to make the antiviral medication remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible after a major study found it could shorten the time it takes for Covid-19 patients to recover by an average of four days.
However, the study is yet inconclusive and far more needs to be learned before health officials begin using the drug. Here's everything you need to know:
It was developed to treat Ebola
Remdesivir is an experimental antiviral produced initially as a potential treatment for the Ebola virus by the US pharmaceutical company Gilead. However, in 2019 Congolese health officials said the drug was less effective than other treatments.
It has showed promising results in preventing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which are also caused by coronaviruses. But those studies have only been done in animals. Remdesivir also showed promise in rhesus macaque monkeys infected with the new coronavirus, according to a small, seven-day study of six monkeys that has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
How does it work?
In Mers-CoV studies, US researchers found remdesivir blocks a particular enzyme that is required for viral replication.
The drug was administered during the trial via daily infusion for about 10 days and appeared to reduce fever and alleviate respiratory symptoms associated with coronavirus, allowing many patients who receive it to be discharged from the hospital in less than a week.
However, it has not been yet been approved by health authorities around the world, and supply is low. But it is being used in clinical trials, and many countries are attempting to get access to the drug for use in their own Covid-19 studies.
What do the studies show?
The US government’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said data from one clinical trial “shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery”.
The trial of more than 1,000 patients at University of Chicago Medicine showed those given remdesivir improved after an average of 11 days, compared with an average of 15 days for those not given the treatment. There was no statistically significant improvement in survival rate between the two groups.
However, the results were one part of a Phase 3 clinical trial for the drug, when doctors test a few hundred patients looking for efficacy and adverse effects. The next and last phase involves testing the drug in a much larger group of patients. There was also no control group, meaning scientists can't compare these patients with a group of equally sick individuals who did not receive the drug.
Similar clinical trials for severe and moderate Covid-19 cases are being run at institutions all over the world, but those results aren't yet public.
A smaller study of 200 patients in Wuhan, China, where the virus is thought to have originated, showed no statistically clinical benefit in Covid-19 patients in health improvement or mortality. However, the researchers said a larger trial was needed.
The conclusion
It is not yet clear if remdesivir's efficacy is affected by factors such as the patient's age, the stage of the disease they are at or other factors. It is also not yet obvious who is benefiting from remdesivir or whether the patients who recovered would have recovered anyway. It is hoped that wider studies will answer many questions scientists have about the drug, but medical responses should not be based on the outcome of one trial.
HAJJAN
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
