The world is anxiously awaiting effective therapies to treat COVID-19.
Doctors are studying a handful of drugs, hoping to find a treatment to help the sickest patients recover faster.
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One drug we’ve heard a lot about is the antiviral -- remdesivir.
Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Daniel Culver was not involved in the research but said results of a recent study suggest it may help decrease the magnitude of the disease.
“This trial shows some benefits to remdesivir and it suggests that patients had a quicker time to recovery by about four days,” he said.
Culver said the study also shows a trend of fewer deaths in people who received remdesivir, although he adds that the data were not statistically significant.
Regardless, he expects remdesivir to become a standard treatment for people hospitalized with COVID-19.
Culver said the supply of remdesivir is limited, though, so we can’t rely on this drug alone to treat COVID-19.
He adds that it’s also important to remember that it’s not a complete cure.
Another couple of drugs making recent headlines include hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.
These are immunosuppressive and anti-parasite drugs, traditionally used to treat malaria and lupus.
Some test-tube and animal models suggest they may be useful in treating COVID-19, but one recent analysis shows little benefit.
The study also suggests people who receive the drugs may have a higher death rate, and increased risk of heart rhythm disorders.
Culver said it’s still too early to know for sure whether these medicines help or harm.
“I do think that the study suggests that we certainly didn’t see a trend towards the drugs being effective, but I think it may be an overstatement right now to claim that the drugs are harmful,” said Culver.
According to Culver, carefully monitored randomized controlled trials are the best way to determine whether other drugs are effective in fighting the virus.