Replies to post #361596 on Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc (IPIX)

[Lemoncat]

Same question: What is it about Remdesivir that justifies its use as a Standard of Care?

I answered it in the last post. Here, I cut off the last quip about lobbying not hurting Gilead's chances:

As for the question about the SOC, no boogeymen are necessary. Remdesivir clearly proved at mild but statistically significant improvement on mortality rates in a 1000+ person trial. The results aren't really inline with the potency of in vitro results on viral titers but it is something.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa2007764

The Kaplan–Meier estimates of mortality were 6.7% with remdesivir and 11.9% with placebo by day 15 and 11.4% with remdesivir and 15.2% with placebo by day 29 (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.52 to 1.03). Serious adverse events were reported in 131 of the 532 patients who received remdesivir (24.6%) and in 163 of the 516 patients who received placebo (31.6%).


3.9 percentage points seems small but if 200,000 people died on Remdesivir then that means it saved 7,800 people over placebo. It's certainly better than nothing but definitely a let down from in vitro results.

The remdesivir study was early to the game as well at a time when there were even fewer treatment options and no vaccines. The FDA was certainly desperate to get anything with any credible results onto the market.

While some docs around the world disagree, I think the trial proved that Remdesivir deserves it's spot as part of the SOC. A 3.9 percentage point reduction in mortality is the best we have so far in an affordable (somewhat), scalable treatment.

Go IPIX!