UVA Researchers Participate In Antiviral Drug's Successful Trial

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — A team of researchers and other experts at the University of Virginia participated in a critical National Institutes of Health study that found the antiviral drug remdesivir speeds patients' recovery from COVID-19. Remdesivir, an experimental drug, helped patients with advanced cases of COVID-19 recover 31 percent faster than patients who received a placebo.

The first phase of the NIH-funded study, whose results were released Wednesday, found that remdesivir improved recovery time for coronavirus patients from 15 to 11 days. For the study’s purposes, “recovery” was defined as being well enough to leave the hospital or return to normal activities.

Doctors and the study's investigators emphasized the findings are from only one study and that the drug does not prevent death. Although not yet considered a cure, the trial represents the first time any medication has been shown to improve patient outcomes against the COVID-19 illness, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives around the world.

The trial began in February and involved more than 1,000 people across 68 locations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Nine COVID-19 patients at the UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville enrolled in the remdesivir trial.

“This is the first clinical trial to demonstrate an effective treatment for COVID-19,” Patrick Jackson, MD, the principal investigator of the trial at UVA, said Thursday. “Remdesivir will be one tool we can use to turn the tide of this pandemic.”

NIH welcomed UVA after the university reached out to inquire about participating in the clinical trial. "They were very impressed with the infrastructure we already had in place, particularly our ability to get testing done rapidly," Jackson said in an interview with Patch. "The fact that we were one of the better centers in the country to have access to testing made us pretty attractive from their standpoint."

The trial was completed much faster than anticipated because there were so many medical research centers participating in the trial, according to Jackson. The trial also moved quickly because of the large pool of patients and the fact that so many of them were highly interested in participating in the trial, he said.

"People volunteered their time not knowing if they would see any benefits, but knowing that they would be able to help other people down the line," Jackson said.

Even before the UVA Medical Center started receiving patients with COVID-19, the university had put together a team of clinical research coordinators, pharmacists, critical care nures and other personnel so that the university would be ready to participate in any COVID-19 trials when they started coming up, Jackson said.

K. Craig Kent, MD, UVA’s executive vice president for health affairs, noted the urgent importance of the research conducted at UVA and other trial sites. “I’m proud UVA has been part of this trial, and I have deep gratitude for all the researchers and care providers who are working tirelessly in the battle against COVID-19,” Kent said.

Remdesivir was tested at UVA and other facilities as part of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial.

Hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 and significant symptoms, including difficulty breathing, using supplemental oxygen or needing a ventilator, were eligible to participate. Participants were assigned at random to receive either remdesivir or a placebo intravenously for as long as 10 days. Patients otherwise received the current standard of care.

“I’m extremely proud for the clinical research staff, pharmacists and others who helped us launch this trial in record time,” said Taison Bell, MD, a UVA critical care and infectious disease specialist. “Because of their efforts, we were able to get a win for our community in the fight against COVID-19.”

Remdesivir will now move into a second phase of testing, in which it will be compared to baricitinib, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. If the virus is attacked with remdesivir, researchers will seek to determine whether patients get extra benefit by reducing inflammation with baricitinib, Jackson said.

"Remdesivir is not a miracle drug by any means. But this is the first high quality trial that's really shown benefits for COVID-19," Jackson said. "It's a privilege to be part of something that's going to change care almost immediately."