Scientists Hope Ebola Drug Can Be a COVID-19 Killer
From Asia to the U.S., researchers are studying the former Ebola-fighting drug remdesivir to see if the antiviral can help save those infected with the coronavirus.
It’s the “one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy” against COVID-19, according to World Health Organization officials. Two patients “near death” who recently took an experimental dose made remarkable recoveries. But it’s not the overhyped antimalaria drug being pushed by President Trump.
Remdesivir started out with similar hopes as a tool many thought could be effective against Ebola, the virus that caused another lethal epidemic in Africa six years ago. Now, scientists are rushing to find out whether or not the antiviral developed by Gilead Sciences can help fight the coronavirus. So what’s remdesivir? Who’s testing it? And how does it operate?
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