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Despite Herculean international efforts in 2020, we still have no magic bullets against COVID-19. Instead, we have a few modestly effective drugs, a few possibly effective drugs, a few clearly ineffective drugs, and a host of drugs still awaiting full evaluation.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, remdesivir, an antiviral with in vitro efficacy against SARS-CoV-2, significantly shortened mean time to clinical recovery among patients hospitalized with lower respiratory tract disease (10 days vs. 15 days). Overall mortality at 4 weeks was unaffected, although the subset of patients who required supplemental oxygen without need for high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation did sustain a mortality benefit (4% vs. 13%; NEJM JW Gen Med …