A new research, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggests that remdesivir, compared with the standard of care for COVID-19, decreased the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients.

This was a sub-study of the global WHO Solidarity trial that evaluated the effects of various treatments for COVID-19. The Canadian Treatments for COVID-19 (CATCO) trial involved 52 Canadian hospitals and assessed the effect of remdesivir in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 from August 14, 2020, through April 1, 2021. A total of 1282 patients were included in the trial and around half of them were randomized to receive treatment with remdesivir and the rest received standard care (control group). The trial noted that among patients not receiving mechanical ventilation at study initiation, the need for mechanical ventilation arose for 8% of patients receiving remdesivir compared to 15% of those who received standard care. Patients given remdesivir were also able to come off oxygen and ventilator support sooner than those given standard care… (ET Healthworld – ANI, January 25, 2022)