Remdesivir Injection : Uses,Dosage,Side effects,precautions To Be Taken While Taking In Covid 19 serious attack

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Remdesivir injection

                                                               Remdesivir injection

Remdesivir is the first antiviral injection approved by FDA against Covid 19. It is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug used for treatment in Covid 19 hospitalized patients only. It is sold under the brand name Veklury. It is given as an intravenous injection.

The latest news about Remdesivir is that India banned exporting it.

 India exports more than 6 lakhs doses of Remdesivir in the last 6 months. But because of the latest peak of Covid 19 cases in India, it has banned exporting Remdesir to outside.

   what is the chemical composition of Remdesivir?

  1. Formula:     C27H35N6O8P                
  2. Molar mass: 602.585 g/mol
  3. ChemSpider ID: 58827832
  4. Other names: GS-5734
  5. Trade name: Veklury
  6. PubChem CID: 121304016

                                                How Remdesivir is used?

It is given as i.v(intravenous) injection only in hospitals suffering from serious Covid infections only.FDA approved it for adults and pediatric patients not less than 12 years or at least 40 kg weight. But for emergency use, it is also available for patients below 12 years also. It is available as 100mg powdered form (5mg/ml) and should be diluted before use as saline.

                      What is the Dosage of Remdesivir and how long it should be used?                    

For adults: Loading dose 200mg iv on day1, followed by 100 mg i.v once daily for remaining days.
For Children: If the weight of the child is less than 12 years but weight is 40 kg or more then the dose is the same as adults. But if the with of the child is between 3.5 kg to 40 kg then the following is the recommendation :
             Loading dose 5 mg per kg I.V should be diluted in normal saline and infusion should be completed within 30 to 120 minutes.
              Maintenance dose: 2.5 mg per kg I, V once daily for the remaining days.

                     How long should we take Remdesivir injection

It depends on the patient’s condition. If the patient is in Invasive mechanical ventilation or in ECMO then it should be for 10 days. Otherwise, 5 days course is enough.

                     What precautions to be taken before taking Remdesivir? 

Doctors usually check the liver and kidney function status of the patient before administration of Remdesivir.      

                  What to do if a Remdesivir dose is missed?

No chance of missing a dose as it is administered in the hospital.

               What to do if there is an overdose of Remdesivir?

    No chance of overdose as it is given in hospitalized patients only under close observation of doctors and sisters.

          What are the side effects of Remdesivir?

Minor side effects are seen as nausea, vomiting etc but you should inform the doctor or it should be observed by the health care provider if there is any allergic reaction occurred after administration, if any breathing difficulty, swelling of face, hives, etc are seen.

Conclusion ; Remdesivir is a broad spectrum antiviral which has been effectively used in Covid19 hosoitalized patients.