The antiviral remdesivir treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization among COVID-19 patients when administered soon after they were diagnosed, according to a new study. Researchers found that remdesivir cut hospitalization risk by 87 percent compared to a placebo that half of the study participants received. Some 562 patients, all deemed at high-risk from COVID-19, were enrolled in the trial. Gilead Sciences, which conducted the Phase 3 randomized, double-blind trial, stopped enrollment in April because the company struggled to find enough participants. But it continued to follow those who had enrolled, half of whom were given a placebo. Participants received the antiviral through IV on three consecutive days on non-hospitalized patients. That’s impractical for people outside of hospitals, some experts say. Monoclonal antibodies are designed to prevent hospitalization and only require a single dose, making them the preferred treatment, Chandy John Lab, professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, …
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