Remdesivir use in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A mini-review

Chih-Jen Yang; Yu-Jui Wei; Hsu-Liang Chang; Pi-Yu Chang; Chung-Chen Tsai; Yen-Hsu Chen; Po-Ren Hsueh

doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2020.09.002

Remdesivir use in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A mini-review

J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2021 Feb;54(1):27-36. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2020.09.002. Epub 2020 Oct 5.

Authors

Chih-Jen Yang¹, Yu-Jui Wei², Hsu-Liang Chang³, Pi-Yu Chang⁴, Chung-Chen Tsai⁵, Yen-Hsu Chen⁶, Po-Ren Hsueh⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Management, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Medical Information of Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. Electronic address: infchen@gmail.com.
⁷ Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: hsporen@ntu.edu.tw.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative viral pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), appears to have various clinical presentations and may result in severe respiratory failure. The global SARS-CoV-2-associated viral pneumonia pandemic was first reported in December 2019 in China. Based on known pharmacological mechanisms, many therapeutic drugs have been repurposed to target SARS-CoV-2. Among these drugs, remdesivir appears to be the currently most promising according to several clinical trials and reports of compassionate use. In this mini-review, we summarize the current evidence on the efficacy and challenges of remdesivir for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Keywords: Compassionate use; Coronavirus disease 2019; Remdesivir; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adenosine Monophosphate / administration & dosage
Adenosine Monophosphate / analogs & derivatives*
Alanine / administration & dosage
Alanine / analogs & derivatives*
Antiviral Agents / administration & dosage*
COVID-19 / epidemiology
COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
China / epidemiology
Clinical Trials as Topic
Humans
Pandemics
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects

Substances

Antiviral Agents
remdesivir
Adenosine Monophosphate
Alanine