Trump Given Experimental Gilead Drug Remdesivir

The Washington Post reports:

The president is receiving remdesivir, an antiviral drug that has shown modest benefits for some people, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and has “completed his first dose and is resting comfortably,” according to a late Friday statement from his physician. Remdesivir was developed in partnership with government agencies and at least $70 million from U.S. taxpayers.

For doctors and researchers, clinical studies have reinforced questions about the effectiveness of the drug and who is best suited to receive it. The most conclusive evidence shows it reduces hospital stays from 15 to 11 days but does not significantly reduce the odds of dying of the coronavirus.

Earlier Friday, Trump’s physician said the president had received an “antibody cocktail” and was “fatigued but in good spirits.” That update came shortly before the president was flown to Walter Reed “out of an abundance of caution.”