The Latest Test Results for the Most Promising COVID-19 Drug So Far
Gilead, the pharma company behind remdesivir, released two encouraging reports about studies underway to test whether the experimental drug could be an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus behind the current pandemic.
As TIME senior health writer Alice Park reports, Gilead announced today that in one large study of the drug, run by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, patients taking remdesivir appeared to improve faster than those given a placebo. In a press briefing this afternoon, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, seemed bullish on the results of the study, saying it showed “quite good news” and a “clear-cut positive effect in diminishing time to recover.”
f you’re wondering why it seems like every week we get a different story about remdesivir, it’s because it’s hard to and communicate science well in a pandemic. An earlier Chinese trial on remdesivir, for example, showed that people receiving the did not seem to benefit compared to those receiving a placebo—however, those results should be taken with a grain of salt, as the study was suspended early because researchers could not enroll the intended number of severe patients. The study was well-designed, but likely underpowered.
There are similar uncertainties for these more recent studies: It’s still too early to draw any conclusions from their results, which are “encouraging but not conclusive,” Park says. We simply still need more data, which should come in the next few months from the multiple remdesivir studies currently underway. In the meantime, based on these positive results, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue an emergency use authorization for the drug to allow doctors to use it in treating COVID-19 patients. The Trump administration could announce the move as early as later today, according to the New York Times.
The total number of COVID-19 diagnoses in the U.S. has surpassed 1 million and more than 58,000 deaths have been reported as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday.
President Donald Trump said yesterday that the U.S. will be able to run 5 million virus tests per day “very soon” but his testing chief told TIME that’s impossible. “There is absolutely no way on Earth, on this planet or any other planet, that we can do 20 million tests a day, or even 5 million tests a day,” said Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of health who is in charge of the government’s testing response.
President Trump signed an executive order yesterday ordering meat-processing plants to stay open amid concerns about worker safety and the stability of the food-supply chain. Trump declared the facilities “critical infrastructure” and used the Defense Production Act to ensure slaughterhouses remain open, Bloomberg reported. Trump also announced yesterday that his administration is considering requiring travelers on “international flights coming out of areas that are heavily infected” to undergo temperature and virus checks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Associated Press.
The Global Situation
Global cases of COVID-19 surpassed 3.1 million as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday, and more than 217,000 people had died.
Here is every country with over 30,000 confirmed cases:
The World Health Organization is working to secure personal protective equipment, diagnostic testing supplies and clinical care equipment for countries with limited access to these essentials, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today. But some countries are still struggling. For example, Human Rights Watch said yesterday that it is worried medical supplies are not reaching northeast Syria amid government restrictions.
In some lighter news, Belgium needs help eating fries. The trade association for the national potato industry is calling on the population to do their part by eating frozen fries twice a week at home as the demand for frozen potatoes plummets.
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of April 28, 8 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
Goldman Sachs' new video series featuring insights on the implications of COVID-19 across markets, industries and the global economy.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Singapore Was a Coronavirus Success Story. But Not For Long.
Outbreaks among vulnerable migrant workers living in cramped quarters have made it difficult for Singapore to keep the spread of coronavirus under control. Singapore had previously been praised, by the WHO among others, for early and aggressive measures, like rigorous detection processes and a strict quarantine. Read more here.
Could ISIS Mount a Resurgence While the World Is Busy Fighting COVID-19?
ISIS has already claimed several ambushes in April—in the Philippines, the Maldives and Mozambique—and appears to be taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic’s weakening of law enforcement around the world, experts say. Read more here.
A Doctor Talks About the Night She Broke
An emergency medicine resident writes in TIME about the conversations that never get easier—like telling family members their loved one has died or is on the verge of death, sometimes passing along personal messages to patients which may be the last words they hear. Read more here.
The Argument Against Remote Learning
A university professor and parent of a 7-year-old makes the case for pausing her son’s schooling—but not his learning—while schools are closed. Read more here.
The COVID-19 Casualties That Didn’t Die From the Disease
An overstretched and complicated social services system puts the homeless and those who are financially insecure at risk. It didn’t have to be this way, writes journalist Lauren Sandler. Read more here.
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