Remdesivir, the only drug cleared to treat Covid-19, sped the recovery time of patients with the disease, but its benefit appeared much more limited in patients who needed mechanical ventilation as part of their treatment.
Although the antiviral agent remdesivir has been shown to shorten recovery time in patients with COVID-19, it has also been linked to hepatoxicity, possibly in combination with P-glycoprotein inhibitors.
A case report, by Dutch investigators published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and reported by Reuters, describes the plight of a 64-year-old male patient with confirmed COVID-19 via a positiv e SARS-CoV-2-PCR of the nasopharynx and consolidations in both lungs on radiological assessment.
The patient was hospitalized and received oxygen therapy and a 5-day chloroquine course. On day 3, he was transferred to the ICU for mechanical ventilation.
On day 16, he started remdesivir, and 2 days later received amiodarone because of new-onset atrial fibrillation. Five days after starting remdesivir, he experienced an acute increase in liver enzymes and remdesivir was stopped immediately. This led to a rapid decrease in liver values, which eventually returned to normal levels.
Liver toxicity is a rare but severe side effect of remdesivir, said study author Emile Leegwater, Haga Teaching Hospital, The Hague, Netherlands, who recommended that monitoring liver function in patients with COVID-19 on remdesivir is “crucial,” particularly when prescribing the drug in those also receiving P-glycoprotein inhibitors.
Source Article: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/933529
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