Remdesivir proves effective

On April 29, 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reported that data from an international clinical trial testing the broad-spectrum antiviral drug remdesivir in around 1,090 patients showed “quite good news” and should result in a new standard of care for COVID-19 patients.

Remdesivir was developed through an academic-corporate partnership between Gilead Sciences and the Baric Lab at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. The biopharmaceutical company sought the talents of a research team led by Ralph Baric, the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology, who has studied coronaviruses for more than 30 years and pioneered rapid-response approaches for the study of emerging viruses and the development of therapeutics.

“This is a game-changer for the treatment of patients with COVID-19,” Baric said upon hearing the results of the clinical trial. “Remdesivir provides an effective treatment strategy for the many infected individuals around the globe.”

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