MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2020) There is no need for Japan to reconsider the approval of antiviral drug Remdesivir as a treatment of COVID-19 at the moment, the national media reported on Friday, citing Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu, in light of new recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Earlier in the day, the WHO's Guideline Development Group panel recommended against the use of Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19, as the latest studies have shown it had no meaningful impact on patient recovery. New evidence pointing to Remdesivir's ineffectiveness was compiled from four international randomized trials involving more than 7,000 COVID-19 inpatients.
According to the NHK broadcaster, Katsunobu said that the WHO guidelines did not exclude the drug's benefit at all but only pointed to insufficient evidence that it improves outcomes for COVID patients.
The official went on to cite the clinical trials that confirmed the drug's partial efficacy to a certain level after the United States authorized its emergency use.
Remdesivir was developed by US biotech firm Gilead Sciences. It was initially intended to treat Ebola, which it proved unable to do, and was later used for treating patients during the SARS and MERS coronavirus outbreaks. On May 7, the Japanese government approved the use of Remdesivir for treating patients with the new coronavirus infection.
In October, the US food and Drug Administration approved Remdesivir for treating COVID-19 patients 12 years of age and older who require hospitalization, and issued a new emergency use authorization for the drug to treat hospitalized pediatric patients who are younger.
