The World Health Organization (WHO) is not recommending the use of the popular COVID-19 drug, the antiviral drug remdesivir, citing the findings of an international group of experts. TASS reports.
Remdesivir “is not intended for patients with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals for treatment, regardless of the severity of their illness,” the organization noted.
According to WHO, there is currently no evidence that the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation. In the world, remdesivir is used as a potentially effective treatment for severe coronavirus, but its role in clinical practice “remains uncertain.”
When drawing up the recommendations, the organization's experts took into account the results of four international trials involving more than seven thousand patients. It turned out that the drug has no significant effect in terms of mortality or other important outcomes for patients.
On November 19, manufacturers of the Sputnik V domestic vaccine against coronavirus applied for certification to the World Health Organization (WHO). The representative of the organization in Russia, Melita Vuinovich, said that WHO has no questions about Russian data on mortality from infection and about the transparency of relevant statistics.
In May 2020, the Ministry of Health approved the first drug for COVID-19, Favipiravir. On October 14, the department approved two more drugs for coronavirus – imported and domestic “Remdesivir”.
