FOSTER CITY, Calif. - Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has presented new retrospective studies at the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) suggesting that Veklury (remdesivir) may reduce the risk of long-term COVID-19 symptoms and mortality among certain patient groups.
One of the studies indicated that hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated with Veklury had a 10% lower risk of developing post-COVID conditions (PCC), specifically in patients under 65 and those 65 and older. The treatment was associated with a lower risk of six to eight individual symptoms or diagnoses, depending on the age group.
Another analysis from the Omicron period (December 2021 – April 2023) showed that immunocompromised COVID-19 patients hospitalized during this time had a 25% lower mortality risk when treated with Veklury, regardless of their oxygen needs.
Additionally, a third study demonstrated that hospitalized COVID-19 patients receiving a combination of Veklury and dexamethasone had a significantly lower mortality risk compared to those treated with dexamethasone alone, across all levels of supplemental oxygen requirements.
These findings contribute to the body of evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of Veklury in treating COVID-19. Dr. Frank Duff, Senior Vice President at Gilead Sciences, highlighted the potential benefits of Veklury in reducing mortality and the risk of developing long-COVID symptoms.
Veklury, a nucleotide analog prodrug developed by Gilead, inhibits viral replication by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase and has shown activity against various Omicron subvariants. It is approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients and those at high risk of disease progression.
The studies analyzed data from the HealthVerity and PINC AI Healthcare databases, including tens of thousands of patients, providing a real-world perspective on the drug's performance.
The information in this article is based on a press release statement from Gilead Sciences, Inc.
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