Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management (Nov 2023)

Efficacy and Safety of Remdesivir in Hospitalized Pediatric COVID-19: A Retrospective Case-Controlled Study

  • Khalil A,
  • Mohamed A,
  • Hassan M,
  • Magboul S,
  • Ali H,
  • Elmasoudi AS,
  • Ellithy K,
  • Qusad M,
  • Alhothi A,
  • Al Maslamani E,
  • Al Amri M,
  • Soliman A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 19
pp. 949 – 958

Abstract

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Ahmed Khalil,1 Asmaa Mohamed,1 Manasik Hassan,2 Samar Magboul,2 Hossamaldein Ali,1 Ahmed Salah Elmasoudi,1 Khaled Ellithy,3 Mohammad Qusad,2 Abdulla Alhothi,2 Eman Al Maslamani,4 Mohammed Al Amri,5 Ashraf Soliman5 1Section of Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy Department, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar; 2Section of Academic General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar; 3Section of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar; 4Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar; 5Department of Pediatrics, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, QatarCorrespondence: Ahmed Khalil, Hamad General Hospital (HGH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, 3050, Qatar, Tel +974 55078679, Email [email protected]: While most children experience mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, a minority of cases progress to severe or critical illness. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of Remdesivir (RDV) therapy in children with moderate to severe COVID-19, enhancing clinical decision-making and expanding our understanding of antiviral treatments for pediatric patients.Methods: The study included 60 patients, 38 receiving RDV treatment and 22 serving as the control group. Data was collected retrospectively from January 2021 to January 2022 through electronic hospital records.Results: Regarding the main clinical symptoms reported, most patients experienced Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (93.3%), indicating respiratory involvement. Additional symptoms included Central Nervous System (11.7%) and Gastrointestinal (10.0%). Among the 38 cases in the RDV group included in the study, the adverse effects associated with using RDV: Hypoalbuminemia in 19 cases (50.0%) and anemia in 18 cases (47.4%), making them the most common adverse effects. Only one case in the RDV group experienced non-RDV-related death with a different clinical diagnosis. The results showed that RDV treatment was well-tolerated in pediatric patients, with no significant differences in hospital stay and oxygen treatment compared to the control group with P values (0.2, 0.18), respectively.Conclusion: The outcomes indicate that Remdesivir may represent a safe and therapeutic choice for children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Keywords: COVID-19, remdesivir, RDV, efficacy, safety, SARS-CoV-2

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