Description
Remdesivir, sold under the brand name Veklury, is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication developed by the biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. Originally, Remdesivir was developed as an injectable solution for the treatment of Ebola virus diseases. Later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remdesivir was approved or authorized for emergency use to treat COVID-19 in around 50 countries.
Uses
Remdesivir was originally developed to treat hepatitis C,and was subsequently investigated for Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus infections before being studied as a post-infection treatment for COVID-19.
Definition
ChEBI: Remdesivir is a carboxylic ester resulting from the formal condensation of the carboxy group of N-[(S)-{[(2R,3S,4R,5R)-5-(4-aminopyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7-yl)-5-cyano-3,4-dihydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-yl]methoxy}(phenoxy)phosphoryl]-L-alanine with the hydroxy group of 2-ethylbutan-1-ol. A broad-spectrum antiviral prodrug with potent in vitro antiviral activity against a diverse panel of RNA viruses such as Ebola virus, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. It is currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Covid-19 in adults. It has a role as an antiviral drug, a prodrug and an anticoronaviral agent. It is a carboxylic ester, a pyrrolotriazine, a nitrile, a phosphoramidate ester, a C-nucleoside and an aromatic amine. It is functionally related to a GS-441524.
Indications
Remdesivir is an antiviral nucleotide analogue used for therapy of severe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (CoV-2) infection. Remdesivir therapy is given intravenously for 3 to 10 days and is frequently accompanied by transient, reversible mild-to-moderate elevations in serum aminotransferase levels but has been only rarely linked to instances of clinically apparent liver injury, its hepatic effects being overshadowed by the systemic effects of COVID-19.
Side effects
The most common adverse effects in people treated with remdesivir were respiratory failure and blood biomarkers of organ impairment, including low albumin, low potassium, low count of red blood cells, low count of thrombocytes, and elevated bilirubin (jaundice).Other reported adverse effects include gastrointestinal distress, elevated transaminase levels in the blood (liver enzymes), infusion site reactions, and electrocardiogram abnormalities. Remdesivir may cause infusion‐related reactions, including low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, sweating or shivering.
Mode of action
As an adenosine nucleoside triphosphate analog (GS-443902),the active metabolite of remdesivir interferes with the action of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and evades proofreading by viral exoribonuclease (ExoN), causing a decrease in viral RNA production.In some viruses, such as the respiratory syncytial virus, it causes the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases to pause, but its predominant effect (as in Ebola) is to induce an irreversible chain termination. Unlike with many other chain terminators, this is not mediated by preventing addition of the immediately subsequent nucleotide, but is instead delayed, occurring after five additional bases have been added to the growing RNA chain.For the RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2, arrest of RNA synthesis occurs after incorporation of three additional nucleotides.Hence, remdesivir is classified as a direct-acting antiviral agent that works as a delayed chain terminator.
