RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Alibrahim, Rim S. A1 Elmekaty, Eman Z. A1 Elmekaty, Mohamed Z. I. A1 Edbais, Mohammad A1 Alkhatib, Mohammed A1 Daghfal, Joanne A1 Almaslamani, Muna A. A1 Omrani, Ali S.YR 2022 T1 Remdesivir for patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia requiring high oxygen support JF Qatar Medical Journal, VO 2022 IS 3 OP SP 25 DO https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2022.25 PB Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press), SN 2227-0426, AB Background: Treatment options for patients with critical Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes associated with remdesivir therapy in patients with COVID-19 who require non-invasive (NIV) ventilation or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Methods: Data were retrospectively extracted for adults with COVID-19 confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) between August 1, 2020 and January 28, 2021 who received ≥ 48 hours of remdesivir therapy while on NIV or IMV. Clinical improvement was defined as two-category improvement on an eight-point ordinal severity scale. Results: A total of 133 individuals were included, of which 114 (85.7%) were on NIV and 19 (14.3%) were on IMV at the time of remdesivir initiation. The majority of the patients were males (62.4%), and the median age was 56 years. All the patients received concomitant dexamethasone therapy. Remdesivir treatment was commenced after a median of 7 days from onset of symptoms and was continued for a median of 5 days. Clinical improvement within 28 days was achieved in 101 patients (75.9%); among which, 78.1% and 63.2% were subjected to baseline NIV and IMV, respectively. Among the 11 (8.3%) patients who died of any cause by day 28, 9 (7.9%) and 2 (10.5%) were subjected to baseline NIV and IMV, respectively. The most frequent adverse events were sinus bradycardia (21, 13.1%) and alanine transaminase increase (18, 11.3%). Almost all adverse events were classified as Grades 1–3. Conclusion: The use of remdesivir in combination with systemic corticosteroids is associated with high recovery rates and low all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who require NIV or IMV. The results need confirmation from clinical trials of appropriate design and size., UL https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2022.25