Omaha medical researcher says he's excited about results of COVID-19 drug trial

In a major international study that enrolled its first patient at the Nebraska Medical Center, the experimental drug, called remdesivir, shortened the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average, U.S. government and company officials announced Wednesday. Gilead Sciences’ drug is the first treatment to pass such a stringent test against the virus, which has killed more than 218,000 people since it emerged late last year in China. The drug also showed a trend toward fewer deaths in patients who were ill enough to have lung involvement.

Having a treatment could have a profound effect on the global pandemic, especially because health officials say any vaccine is most likely a year or more away. The study, run by the National Institutes of Health, tested remdesivir versus usual care in 1,063 hospitalized coronavirus patients around the world. The clinical trial of the drug began in Omaha in February. The first participant in the trial was an American who was repatriated after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had docked off the coast of Japan.

“When I find a positive result in a study with that kind of strict methodology, it brings me not only hope but joy that we are bringing a treatment that did not exist until today. This is the only thing that’s saved lives. Now we can have supportive (hospital) care plus remdesivir. … If we can shorten the recovery by a third and improve their survival, this is news to definitely get excited about.”

The NIH study quickly enrolled its original goal of 440 patients and then was expanded to give more answers on questions such as which subgroups may or may not benefit and other factors that may affect success, such as how early in the course of illness the drug was given.

The study’s main goal also was altered. Originally, the goal was to determine the percentage of patients having various outcomes such as needing a breathing machine, fully recovering or dying 15 days after starting treatment. The new main goal is to measure the time to recovery, such as no longer needing oxygen or hospitalization.

Read the full story from Live Well Nebraska here.