Development of an Assay for the COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir-Toward Proper Remdesivir Use in Patients with Pre-Existing Conditions‐

Introduction

In May 2020, the antiviral drug remdesivir was granted special approval in Japan as a treatment for COVID-19. Due to limited experience using remdesivir throughout the world, little information had been collected on remdesivir pharmacokinetics, particularly in patients with renal dysfunction or other comorbidities. This article presents a mass spectrometer-based method for analyzing an active metabolite (GS-441524) of the COVID-19 therapeutic remdesivir. GS-441524 blood levels were measured in a variety of patients, population pharmacokinetics were analyzed, and a pharmacokinetic model was established that allows dose setting based on renal function. Monitoring drug blood levels can be of immense help when treating patients with certain pre-existing conditions, even for drugs that are not necessarily eligible for reimbursement of blood level monitoring fees.

December 25, 2022 GMT