Details on remdesivir from BBC:
(dramatic detail: to my knowledge it was
China was doing the test):
What do we know about the study?
News of the failed trial spread after the WHO posted details on its clinical trials database, before it was removed. The WHO has since confirmed the draft report was mistakenly uploaded.
It showed that researchers studied 237 patients, administering the drug to 158 and comparing their progress with the remaining 79, who received a placebo.
After a month,
13.9% of the patients taking the drug had died compared to 12.8% of those receiving the placebo. The trial was stopped early because of side-effects.
"Remdesivir was not associated with clinical or virological benefits," the summary states.
What has the company said?
Gilead has disputed the WHO post.
"We believe the post included
inappropriate characterisations of the study," a spokesman for Gilead said, adding that
it was terminated early due to low enrolment and was therefore not statistically meaningful.
"As such, the study
results are inconclusive, though trends in the data suggest a potential benefit for remdesivir, particularly among patients treated early in disease," he said.
BBC