Remdesivir: The drug that could help virus patients

Remdesivir has become the first drug with proven benefits against COVID-19, with a major US-led trial concluding as much.

The drug was originally engineered to treat Ebola - by US pharmaceutical Gilead Sciences - but was not as successful in beating the disease as the other medicines it was up against, eventually getting discontinued, because it did not boost survival rates.

In February, the drug was brought back, to test its effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, because it had shown promise in animal testing against SARS and MERS, which are from the same coronavirus family.

Remdesivir is an antiviral that acts as a nucleotide analog, in essence, sneaking into the virus's genome instead of adenosine (a building block in cellular replication), which in turn short circuits the process.

In a trial with 1,000 subjects, it was found that patients on the drug had a 31% faster time to recovery. In essence, hospitalized COVID-19 patients with respiratory distress got better quicker than those on a placebo.

It's not a miracle cure, but it is a step in the right direction, proof that there is light at the end of this specific tunnel and it will eventually lead to a better, more effective drug.