remdesivir

noun

rem·​des·​i·​vir ˌrem-ˈde-sə-ˌvir 

: an antiviral agent C₂₇H₃₅N₆O₈P that is administered intravenously and inhibits viral replication by interfering with RNA polymerase function

Note: Remdesivir is a nucleotide prodrug that undergoes metabolic conversion in the body to a triphosphate nucleotide.

As part of a national clinical trial, the Orange County team of medical scientists are authorized to use the antiviral drug remdesivir—once developed to treat the Ebola virus—on certain COVID-19 patients hospitalized at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

—Theresa Walker

Previous research in cell cultures and animal models has shown that remdesivir can block replication of a variety of coronaviruses …

—Victoria Rees

Examples of remdesivir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s also remdesivir, which is administered intravenously. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024

But for the mostly seriously ill COVID patients, doctors still have few tools beyond steroids and remdesivir. —Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Feb. 2022

April 25, the FDA approved Covid-19 antiviral remdesivir for children 28 days and older, making remdesivir the first Covid-19 treatment fully approved for children under 12. —Zachary Snowdon Smith, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022

Other options for treating Covid-19 patients who aren’t yet hospitalized include two antiviral pills, one from Pfizer and one from Merck, and Gilead’s remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral. —Andrew Joseph, STAT, 13 Feb. 2022

This would require additional regulatory procedures to identify the most vulnerable patients and promptly deliver sufficient doses of remdesivir. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022

Doctors said most patients would remain in the hospital for kidney and liver function monitoring while still receiving remdesivir, but that could occur at the White House. —Anna Wilde Mathews and Daniela Hernandez, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2020

Trump is scheduled to receive his fifth and final dose of remdesivir Tuesday. —NBC News, 5 Oct. 2020

Since the first case arrived in the U.S. at the start of the year, medical professionals have gone from fumbling in the dark to better understanding which drugs work -- such as steroids and blood thinners, and the antiviral medicine remdesivir. —Olivia Raimonde, Bloomberg.com, 19 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

rem- (of undetermined origin) + -desi-, infix denoting an adenosine analog (probably from adenosine) + -vir, combining element denoting an antiviral compound (from virus)

Note: According to the prescriptions of the U.S. Adopted Names Council, the initial element in generic drug names is to be meaningless.

First Known Use

2017, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

remdesivir

noun

rem·​des·​i·​vir ˌrem-ˈdes-ə-ˌvir 

: an antiviral agent C₂₇H₃₅N₆O₈P that is administered intravenously and inhibits viral replication by interfering with RNA polymerase function

Note: Remdesivir is a nucleotide prodrug that undergoes metabolic conversion in the body to a triphosphate nucleotide.

… patients with moderate-to-severe Covid-19 who were treated with remdesivir had a shorter time to recovery and a lower risk of progression to more severe respiratory disease than patients who received placebo.

—Robert L. Gottlieb et al., The New England Journal of Medicine