Remdesivir, an antiviral drug manufactured by Gilead Sciences, was thrust into the global spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the fanfare surrounding its use as a potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2, its origins and prior applications paint a more concerning picture. Initially developed to combat other viral diseases, remdesivir’s history is marked by lackluster results, questionable effectiveness, and rushed approvals that raise significant doubts about its real value in treating illnesses.
The Dubious Beginnings
Gilead Sciences began developing remdesivir years before COVID-19 as part of an effort to create treatments for RNA viruses. Early on, the drug was positioned as a potential solution for serious viral threats like Ebola and Marburg viruses. These were terrifying diseases with high mortality rates, and the desperate search for an effective treatment seemed to justify the rapid development of experimental drugs like remdesivir.
Yet, from the start, remdesivir struggled to live up to expectations. While it showed some promise in laboratory settings, its transition to real-world applications was far from smooth. It quickly became apparent that this supposed antiviral wonder drug had significant shortcomings.
Failed Trials in Ebola
Remdesivir’s first major test came during the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak and the 2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With much anticipation, the drug was tested alongside other experimental treatments in randomized trials. However, remdesivir fell short. Other treatments, particularly monoclonal antibodies like REGN-EB3 and mAb114, significantly outperformed it.
In fact, remdesivir was found to be less effective than anticipated, and it was soon sidelined in favor of more successful alternatives. Instead of being the breakthrough treatment it was hoped to be, remdesivir was pushed to the background—a failure in the context of a public health crisis that desperately needed effective interventions. The fact that it failed to meet the necessary benchmarks in such a critical trial should have been a red flag for its broader use.
Overhyped as a Broad-Spectrum Solution
Despite its poor performance against Ebola, Gilead continued to push remdesivir as a potential broad-spectrum antiviral, claiming it could be effective against various RNA viruses. While the drug did show some activity against coronaviruses like SARS and MERS in laboratory settings, there was little evidence that it would work effectively in humans.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, remdesivir was never widely used to treat any viral infection. It remained largely in the experimental phase, with little clinical proof of its efficacy. The drug sat on the sidelines, more of a theoretical solution than a proven one. Given these limitations, remdesivir's rise during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed more a result of desperation than scientific validation.
Rushed and Questionable Approvals During COVID-19
When COVID-19 began spreading rapidly in 2020, governments and health organizations were desperate for any treatment that could potentially mitigate the virus. Despite its poor track record in previous trials and a lack of compelling evidence that it would work against SARS-CoV-2, remdesivir was quickly pushed into clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment.
In May 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for remdesivir in treating severe COVID-19 cases. This rushed approval was largely based on limited, preliminary data rather than comprehensive evidence. Many questioned whether remdesivir deserved the spotlight it was receiving, especially when early studies on COVID-19 patients showed only modest benefits, if any. In some cases, the drug appeared to do little to improve recovery times or prevent deaths, despite its rapid rollout in hospitals.
Furthermore, some studies indicated that remdesivir's use could lead to harmful side effects, including kidney damage and liver issues, raising concerns about its overall safety, particularly when used on a large scale.
The Lingering Doubts
As the pandemic unfolded, remdesivir’s reputation continued to suffer. While some insisted it offered limited benefits, other large-scale studies, including those conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), found little to no impact on mortality rates or recovery times in COVID-19 patients. In light of these findings, many began to see remdesivir not as a breakthrough drug, but as an overhyped and underperforming treatment hastily approved during a period of panic.
The hasty embrace of remdesivir despite its unimpressive track record raises serious questions about the integrity of drug approval processes in times of crisis. Was remdesivir’s rise driven more by corporate interests and the desire to find "something" to combat COVID-19 than by solid scientific evidence?
Conclusion
The history of remdesivir reveals a drug that failed to prove its worth time and again. From its disappointing performance against Ebola to its rushed approval and questionable efficacy during COVID-19, remdesivir has consistently fallen short of the promises made by its developers. While it was hailed as a potential game-changer in the fight against COVID-19, the reality is that remdesivir’s story is one of missed expectations, exaggerated claims, and lingering doubts.
In the end, remdesivir may serve as a cautionary tale of what happens when a drug is rushed into the spotlight without the solid evidence necessary to back its widespread use. As future pandemics loom, it is crucial to prioritize science over desperation and ensure that the treatments we endorse are truly effective—not just hastily approved placeholders that fail to deliver.
References
Mulangu, S., et al. (2019). A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Ebola Virus Disease Therapeutics. The New England Journal of Medicine, 381(24), 2293–2303. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1910993.
World Health Organization (2020). WHO discontinues trials of hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir for COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room.
Antinori, S., et al. (2020). Compassionate remdesivir treatment of severe COVID-19 pneumonia in intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients: Clinical outcome and differences observed. Infectious Diseases Society of America, 71(14), 2868–2873. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1463.
Beigel, J.H., et al. (2020). Remdesivir for the Treatment of COVID-19 — Final Report. The New England Journal of Medicine, 383(19), 1813–1826. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2007764.
World Health Organization (2020). WHO recommends against the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room.
Grein, J., et al. (2020). Compassionate use of remdesivir for patients with severe COVID-19. The New England Journal of Medicine, 382(24), 2327-2336. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2007016.
FDA (2020). FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Remdesivir for Treatment of COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov.
Gilead Sciences (2020). Remdesivir clinical trial results update. Retrieved from https://www.gilead.com.
We know this now, but over three years ago when my wife was treated [aledgedly] for C-19 she died from kidney and liver failure. That same protocol is still used in the hospital that treated her with that deadly drug on the first day. Many organizations have unsuccessfully tried to get some accountability from the Fauci cabal but, because of the PREP Act and EUA, have failed. This is fraud at its highest level where many profited while many innocent people died needlessly.