The University of Nebraska Medical Center is beginning a clinical trial of the antiviral drug remdesivir to test its effectiveness against the novel coronavirus COVID-19, and the first patient receiving the drug will be a patient who was evacuated from the cruise ship Diamond Princess. Entry into the trial requires reasonably serious symptoms, like the need for supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation.

There is currently no proven treatment to combat COVID-19 infection, but remdesivir has been tested in China and in one case in Snohomish County, Washington. It has been extensively trialed in patients with Ebola virus, and it has shown promise in animal trials for treating Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), both of which are caused by other coronaviruses.

“We urgently need a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19. Although remdesivir has been administered to some patients with COVID-19, we do not have solid data to indicate it can improve clinical outcomes,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci. “A randomized, placebo-controlled trial is the gold standard for determining if an experimental treatment can benefit patients.”