Remdesivir may be dropped from Covid treatment soon

New Delhi, May 19: Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug widely used for COVID-19 treatment, is likely to be dropped from COVID-19 treatment soon. The move comes days after the use of Plasma therapy has been dropped from the recommended treatment protocols for COVID -19.

Ganga Ram hospital chairperson Dr DS Rana said that there is no evidence of anti-viral drug's effectiveness in treating COVID-19 patients.

"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", Dr Rana told ANI.

"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 mointoring. Medical fraternity is trying to gsather more information, by the time you gain full knowledge about this pandemic, I think it will be over", he said.

Amid irrational use of anti-viral drug, the centre has repeatedly said that Remdesivir is not a life-saving drug in COVID-19.

The drug has been included as an "investigational therapy" and recommended only for restricted emergency use purposes. The second wave of the pandemic has created an unprecedented demand for Remedsivir injection resulting in high demand.