Man credits Remdesivir with saving his life

[crimycarny]

With all the bad news out there I thought I'd pass on something positive. Since Remdesivir is being given only to those who are the sickest, it's surprising that it's able to have an effect at all. The fact that is appears to be helping such sick patients gives me hope that Remdesivir will be even more successful if given early on, and potentially could be used as a prophylactic treatment for those exposed.

Of course a big problem will be the cost as well as the method of administration which, currently, is intravenous. I read that they are trying to develop an easier form of administration, such as a nasal spray or injection (like insulin).

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/05/05/coronavirus-patient-credits-remdesivir-drug-for-saving-his-life/


NOTE: My sister's neighbor was given Remdesivir when he was in the ICU with COVID-19. He feels it saved his life as well.

[Beakybird]

1. Anecdotal accounts aren't helpful. Peer reviewed controlled studies are.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. I believe that there has been at least one study that showed some promise

It's not a "miracle drug" but it sounds like it has some effectiveness but obviously more research is going to be needed.

[HarlanPepper]

4. It's almost as if some people don't want advancements.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. I don't know if it's that

or being skeptical of possible "miracle cures". Remember how heavily Hydroxychloroquine was being touted by everybody, especially Trump, but it turned out to pretty much be useless. Nothing wrong with reporting on some possible advancements but we just have to maintain some healthy level of skepticism about information being pushed, especially at the Federal level right now.

[HarlanPepper]

6. Yeah, but this isn't that and wasn't initially touted by Trump

So from my POV it should not elicit the same reaction the anti malarial did. Plus this drug hasn’t really been touted as a “miracle drug” but rather a drug that might provide some marginal benefit.

We do have a number of internet epidemiologists here who think they have some special insight, so maybe that’s part of it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. Good points

[crimycarny]

9. I know, right?

I almost cringe to post anything positive these days. Trying to find something positive isn't the same as being naive or ... I dunno ... "disloyal" to the current doom and gloom.

The fact that Remdesivir is showing a 30% improvement despite being given to patients that are gravely ill (when it's usually too late for antivirals to work) is very hopeful to me. And just because I have hope doesn't mean I naively think this is some miracle cure.

Antivirals--whether it's Remdesivir or something else--are going to be important because it's not clear the effectiveness of any vaccine that gets developed. What if it's like the flu shot that isn't 100%, closer to 50% (in a good year). What if COVID=19 mutates? What about the elderly who aren't as protected from the flu shot because their immune systems don't always react strongly enough?

Finally, at least in the case of the flu, antivirals like Tamiflu and XOFluza work against a broader spectrum. The flu vaccine sometimes misses the mark because it has to be closely matched. If we find an antiviral that works against a broad spectrum of coronavirus, that is another form of attack should the vaccine miss the mark.

[Mariana]

3. Yes. There's no way to know if he would have lived anyway.

Landing in the ICU with Covid is very bad, but it isn't necessarily a death sentence. Lots of people survive it.

[crimycarny]

10. Sure

But clinical trials show Remdesivir speeds recovery by 31%, so there's that...

Just trying to pass a long some positive news, anecdotal or not, never said it was a miracle cure.

[crimycarny]

8. And that is why it's going through clinical trials

Or haven't you heard?

[Yavin4]

11. There needs to be one central body that can peer review any claim. n/t

[Alex4Martinez]

12. Anecdotal accounts are definitely helpful, they can serve as first steps toward solutions.

Peer reviewed controlled studies are critical, the two types of data/research are not mutually exclusive.

Science and medicine involve both of these, but we don't make policy based on anecdotal evidence alone.