We continue our Hope Behind the Headlines series by examining the promising clinical trial results of two new vaccines. Also, an experimental study adds to the mounting evidence suggesting that remdesivir may combat COVID-19. All of the participants who received the Oxford vaccine developed SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies within 2 weeks. Most of them (32 out of 35) developed them after receiving a single dose. Several previous studies have suggested that remdesivir, which is a drug that scientists developed for treating Ebola, can reduce the recovery time for people who develop severe COVID-19. However, the exact action of this broad-spectrum antiviral drug on SARS-CoV-2 remains largely unknown. For this reason, a team of researchers set out to study it further. Andrea Pruijssers, Ph.D. — from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN — is the lead author of the new study. She explains, “All of the results with remdesivir have been very encouraging, even more so than we would have hoped, but it is still investigational, so it was important to directly demonstrate its activity against SARS-CoV-2 in the lab and in an animal model of disease.”
(Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)