Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug, remdesivir, prevented lung disease in macaques infected with the new coronavirus, according to a study published in medical journal Nature on Tuesday.
Remdesivir has been cleared for emergency use in severely-ill patients in the United States, India and South Korea. Some European nations are also using it under compassionate programs.
Trials of the drug in humans are ongoing, and early data has shown the drug helped patients recover more quickly from the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
In the study, 12 monkeys were deliberately infected with the coronavirus, and half of them were given early treatment with remdesivir.
Macaques that received remdesivir did not show signs of respiratory disease and had reduced damage to the lungs, according to the study authors.
About Remdesivir
Remdesivir, or GS-5734, is an adenosine triphosphate analog first described in the literature in 2016 as a potential treatment for Ebola. In 2017, its activity against the coronavirus family of viruses was also demonstrated. The antiviral drug is also being researched as a potential treatment to SARS-CoV2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.
Remdesivir was originally created and developed by Gilead Sciences in 2009, as part of the company’s research and development program for hepatitis C. It did not work against hepatitis C as hoped, but was then repurposed and studied as a potential treatment for Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus infections.
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