WHO Solidarity trial and WHO recommendations find no evidence to support remdesivir and other re-purposed drugs to improve COVID-19 outcomes.

The World Health Organization recommended against the use of Gilead's Veklury in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, saying there is no evidence the drug prevents death and calling data showing it improves outcomes "weak." The WHO cited the SOLIDARITY study, which, in contrast to a major U.S. government-sponsored trial, found no clear difference in patients' recovery time. On 16 November 2020-The WHO Solidarity trial of treatments repurposed for use in the covid-19 pandemic has shown that none of the four drugs studied produced any measurable benefit in mortality or disease course. This includes remdesivir—a drug already recommended by several guidelines and pre-ordered by numerous governments around the world. Hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir-ritonavir, and interferon beta-1a regimens also seemed to have little or no effect on 28 day mortality. None of the drugs delayed the need for ventilation or shortened the stay of patients admitted to hospital. “For each drug in the study, the effect on mortality was disappointingly unpromising,” said the World Health Organization in a statement.