4.3.1.1. Remdesivir
It is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug. It is also referred to as GS-5734
. This drug is studied in great detail and is the most widely used drug
ever since the pandemic began. Since the start of the pandemic, this
particular drug name has been discussed in great detail. It is an
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analog and a prodrug of Remdesivir
triphosphate (RDV-TP) that acts as an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
inhibitor that inhibits the proliferation of the virus. After entry into
the host cell, the Remdesivir undergoes cleavage to form the adenosine
monophosphate analog and undergoes phosphorylation giving rise to RDV-TP
which resembles ATP. There is competition between RDV and ATP, and
RDV-TP gets incorporated into the growing chain thereby causing
premature termination of viral RNA transcription . The United States
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 1, 2020, declared that
Remdesivir could be used for the emergency treatment of hospitalized
COVID-19 patients .