As the Coronavirus keeps spreading in the USA, doctors, and researchers in New Hampshire are working to find a cure. Medication to slow the progression of the COVID-19 cure is now underway at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Some COVID-19 patients at DHMC are receiving ‘remdesivir‘. Doctors say it will help sustain the virus. The researchers at the hospital are working with more than 90 clinical sites around the world in this trial.
Leigh Burgess, vice president of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Research Operations, says, “It is our priority and we work on the studies to make sure it is going to open as fast as we could get it to open. Because we can have it as an option for our patients.”
The doctors say the anti-viral drug was developed during the ebola outbreak. But it has the potential to help patients suffering from COVID-19. Richard Zuckerman, the principal investigator, says “there are really very limited treatment options. But remdesivir is the most promising treatment option according to the World Health Organization.”
In what can typically take 60 days or more, a team of #research operations leads and investigators have opened two, Phase 3 therapeutic studies of a potential treatment for #COVID19 in a remarkable six days.
➡️ https://t.co/IPs5kEHukM
#ClinicalTrial #Remdesivir #antiviral pic.twitter.com/9VvKFKpYGg— Dartmouth-Hitchcock (@DartmouthHitch) April 1, 2020
25 nurses are now giving ‘remdesivir’ to patients suffering from COVID-19. The goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug in patients with moderate and severe coronavirus disease.
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“I’m hopeful that within the next few weeks we are going to have some preliminary results so that Gilead can start analyzing the data and making decisions with the FDA, of course, about whether or not this medication will be made available for the general public,” Zuckerman said.
WHO asked doctors about how many patients are receiving this medication, but they couldn’t specify at this time. The COVID-19 cure is still under process. Hopefully, it will show positive results.
Suryapratim Ray is an engineer, author, robotics hobbyist, and an active Quoran. Being a technical blogger, he covers the good, bad, and ugly of science on a regular basis at Sciencenews18. In addition to his passion for writing, he’s equally keen on learning classical music.