Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 20) — The clinical trial on anti-viral drug remdesivir will not be terminated in the Philippines despite the World Health Organization’s recommendation against using the drug to treat severe COVID-19 patients, the Department of Health said on Friday.
The WHO has updated its ongoing guidance on COVID-19 medications to say that remdesivir should not be used to treat hospitalized patients, no matter how severe their illness may be. According to the update, current evidence does not suggest the drug affects the risk of dying from COVID-19.
READ: WHO recommends against using remdesivir to treat COVID-19
Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said it is one of the drugs included in the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Trial, which is why the Philippines cannot stop the study yet. She said that part of WHO’s recommendation is that countries can continue with the trial to gather more evidence if the drug can help patients.
“We will follow whatever WHO recommends to us because we are part of their trial… Until WHO tells us to completely stop this trial because of their recommendations that’s the time we will stop,” she said in a media briefing.
A WHO study in October reported that remdesivir had “little or no effect on mortality” for patients hospitalized with the coronavirus. It added that the drugs do not seem to help patients recover any faster either.
