View Point REMDESIVIR: A DRUG WITH PROMISING EFFECTS AGAINST COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, has affected thousands of people worldwide, and this pandemic has hampered our world and our daily life badly. Therapeutically useful and effective antiviral drug against Covid-19 is thus the need of the hour in the medical field globally. Till now, no specific antiviral drug has proven effective for curing patients with COVID-19. However, some antiviral drugs like darunavir, nelfinavir, and saquinavir, as well as other drugs like ACE inhibitor (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor), daunorubicin, metamizole, bepotastine; and the antimalarial drug atovaquone have shown potential effects against this viral disease. And the race continues to find a drug that might benefit critically ill patients. Remdesivir, an adenosine analog with an extensive antiviral spectrum works by causing pre-mature viral termination, has shown promising results against coronaviruses (CoVs) both in vitro and in vivo using nonhuman primate animal models.