The only FDA approved antiviral is the IV medication remdesivir. Now St. David's South Austin Medical Center is testing a new drug, Merimepodib by giving it along with remdesivir to some very ill patients.
Dr. Matthew C Robinson, the hospital's medical director for infectious disease says some hospitalized Covid-19 patients at St. David's South Austin Medical Center are gettingmerimepodib along with remdesivir, while others are getting remdesivir and a placebo.
He says merimepodib has shown promise in the lab, both with remdesivir and alone. "It also showed activity in concert with remdesivir in the lab, and actually seemed to enhance the activity when both were used together."He says ideally it would be nice to treat patients with an antiviral early in the course of the disease and see if they could prevent hospitalizations and prevent severe disease from developing.
What's especially hopeful, should the new drug prove effective, is that merimepodib is taken orally. He says there are plans to evaluate merimepodib as a stand alone drug."It potentially would offer as a medication that could that could be prescribed more easily in an outpatient setting."10 to 15 patients are taking part in the ViralClear Pharmaceuticals Inc trial in Austin, which is one of a number of trials being conducted nationwide.