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The drug remdesivir worked in a seriously ill patient with the coronavirus at the Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice in Prague and he was disconnected from artificial lung ventilation.
The patient, who as the only one in the Czech Republic is receiving the experimental drug Remdesivir for COVID-19, could be disconnected from the ECMO device, which provides extracorporeal oxygenation of the blood.
His condition improved after the administration of the fourth dose of the drug, but he remains seriously ill. “The situation is developing in a positive direction,” said the director of the Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice in Prague, David Feltl.
“The condition of the taxi driver improved enough that he could be disconnected from the ECMO device,” hospital spokeswoman Marie Heřmánková said on Friday morning.
“The drug remdesivir may have contributed significantly to the treatment of that patient, but only the coming days and the evaluation of further findings will show how much it accelerates recovery,” said the patient’s attending physician Martin Balík.
“The drug probably could have helped us, but as you can see, patients are recovering without Remdesivir, so we do not have absolute certainty,” Balík said.
The ECMO device provides extracorporeal oxygenation of the blood and the patient no longer needs it. However, he still remains on mechanical ventilation.
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