Remdesivir RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor Treatment of Ebola virus infection Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19)

Remdesivir (GS-5734) is a promising broad-spectrum experimental antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences. It is a nucleo-side analogue prodrug that undergoes rapid conversion into nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) by intracellular metabolic processes. These NTPs inhibit viral polymerase by acting as an alternate substrate. Initially, remdesivir was developed to treat Ebola virus disease as it exerts antiviral activity by inhibiting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. As RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is a common enzyme found in all viruses belonging to the realm Riboviria, remdesivir has the potential to be used as a broad-spectrum antiviral against a wide range of viruses, which has been reflected in several in vitro and in vivo studies in which it has efficiently prevented the replication of viruses belonging to diverse families such as Ebola virus, coronavirus, Zika virus and Nipah virus. After qualifying preclinical efficacy and safety criteria, remdesivir is currently in randomized clinical trials in patients of Ebola virus and the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2. [GRAPHICS]