Remdesivir: First Drug against Covid-19 Approved In the EU

The drug Remdesivir for the treatment of patients with Covid-19 has also been approved in Europe in certain cases. When it is used, how it works, what side effects are known

Remdesivir - first approved drug against Covid-19

Remdesivir was approved by the European Commission on July 3, 2020 for the treatment of the disease Covid-19 caused by the novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2), after the Human Medicines Committee of the EMA (European Medicines Agency) recommended the active ingredient for conditional approval . Remdesivir should be the first drug against COVID-19 to be used in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age under certain conditions.

What does conditional approval mean?

In this case, conditional means that certain criteria must be met in order for the drug to be administered. These criteria are that it is a severe course of the Sars-CoV-2 infection with lung involvement and necessary oxygen therapy. It is only considered for patients with a severe course who are in hospital.

 

Remdesivir has certainly not been the only magic drink, says Professor Clemens Wendtner, chief physician at the Infectious Disease Clinic at Munich Clinic Schwabing, but the study so far has shown that half of the patients clearly benefit from the therapy have, which has been shown in a shorter period of illness and an improvement in symptoms. Thus, for some of those affected, the duration of treatment in an intensive care unit could be shortened.

What is remdesivir?

Remdesivir is a virus-inhibiting agent (antiviral) and was originally developed for the treatment of Ebola, but had not prevailed against other drugs.

How does Remdesivir work as an antiviral?

An antiviral is a drug that inhibits viruses. This means that the virus is prevented from multiplying. Remdesivir blocks the viral copy machine (RNA polymerase) which the virus needs to replicate.

In more detail: the genetic material of the virus consists of RNA. The RNA is made up of the various building blocks adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil. In order to reproduce, the virus makes many new strands of RNA using an enzyme called RNA polymerase. For this, the building blocks adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil are required and put together as in the original RNA. Remdesivir is similar to adenine and is incorrectly incorporated by the RNA polymerase. This means that no new, functional RNA strands can be formed (see picture gallery).

This mechanism of action, ie incorporating a nucleoside analog in virus replication, is not a new invention, but it must first be researched anew for each type of virus, says Prof. Wendtner.

Remdesivir: First drug against Covid-19 approved in the EU

Since July 3, 2020, the drug Remdesivir for the treatment of patients with Covid-19 has also been approved in Europe in certain cases. When it is used, how it works, what side effects are known

Remdesivir - first approved drug against Covid-19

Remdesivir was approved by the European Commission on July 3, 2020 for the treatment of the disease Covid-19 caused by the novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2), after the Human Medicines Committee of the EMA (European Medicines Agency) recommended the active ingredient for conditional approval . Remdesivir should be the first drug against COVID-19 to be used in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age under certain conditions.

What does conditional approval mean?

In this case, conditional means that certain criteria must be met in order for the drug to be administered. These criteria are that it is a severe course of the Sars-CoV-2 infection with lung involvement and necessary oxygen therapy. It is only considered for patients with a severe course who are in hospital.

Remdesivir has certainly not been the only magic drink, says Professor Clemens Wendtner, chief physician at the Infectious Disease Clinic at Munich Clinic Schwabing, but the study so far has shown that half of the patients clearly benefit from the therapy have, which has been shown in a shorter period of illness and an improvement in symptoms. Thus, for some of those affected, the duration of treatment in an intensive care unit could be shortened.

What is remdesivir?

Remdesivir is a virus-inhibiting agent (antiviral) and was originally developed for the treatment of Ebola, but had not prevailed against other drugs.

How does Remdesivir work as an antiviral?

An antiviral is a drug that inhibits viruses. This means that the virus is prevented from multiplying. Remdesivir blocks the viral copy machine (RNA polymerase) which the virus needs to replicate.

In more detail: the genetic material of the virus consists of RNA. The RNA is made up of the various building blocks adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil. In order to reproduce, the virus makes many new strands of RNA using an enzyme called RNA polymerase. For this, the building blocks adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil are required and put together as in the original RNA. Remdesivir is similar to adenine and is incorrectly incorporated by the RNA polymerase. This means that no new, functional RNA strands can be formed (see picture gallery).

This mechanism of action, ie incorporating a nucleoside analog in virus replication, is not a new invention, but it must first be researched anew for each type of virus.