Gilead Sciences Launches Early Trial of Inhaled Remdesivir for COVID-19

Gilead Sciences has begun testing an inhaled version of remdesivir that it hopes could be used to treat less severe COVID-19 cases.

The phase 1a trial is getting under way in  just two weeks after receiving the FDA’s approval.

A National Institutes of Health trial of the drug’s intravenous formulation found that remdesivir cut four days off the recovery time, shortening the median recovery to 11 days in hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate disease, compared to 15 days for those given a placebo (DID, May 26).

Gilead notes that the inhaled drug has advantages over the intravenous version because it is easier to administer outside of a hospital setting. In addition, the inhaled drug would be delivered straight to the upper respiratory tract, the primary site of infection early in the disease. — Jordan Williams