Remdesivir

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that is used as a treatment for filovirus infections such as Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus.
Remdesivir has also shown some effectiveness against Nipah virus in primates.
It is an investigational drug with broad-spectrum antiviral activity.

Many doctors who have been treating COVID-19 patients in India say that remdesivir is no magic bullet but it may still have its uses.
The World Health Organisation also advised against the use of remdesivir, which is listed as experimental therapy for COVID-19 by the Health Ministry.

Remdesivir, which was initially developed for use in the treatment of ebola and hepatitis C was found to be a promising candidate for COVID-19 through in vitro studies.
The drug eventually became the drug of choice for COVID-19 treatment, not due to its efficacy, but mainly through its popularity.
This frenzy put social pressure on doctors for its use in even mild disease. This has led to indiscriminate use of this drug.
The doctors warned that there are many logistic and efficacy issues with remdesivir.
It is an expensive drug requiring Intravenous administration, and the timing and duration of therapy are still fairly unknown.
The side effect profile of the drug has also been largely unknown and there are chances that some of its side effects may have been wrongly attributed to COVID-19.

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