A brief note on randomized controlled trials and compassionate/off-label use of drugs in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic

Matteo Bassetti MD, PhD, Paolo Pelosi MD, FERS, Chiara Robba MD, PhD, Antonio Vena MD, PhD, Daniele Roberto Giacobbe MD

Article Type

Editorial

Published

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the best way to find effective and acceptable safe treatments for COVID-19 and any possible future outbreak. However, caution is needed when comparing the number of participants in RCTs with that of patients with COVID-19 treated with compassionate and/or off-label drugs to support the hypothesis that the latter are preferred by clinicians as an alternative to the former.

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The journey of remdesivir: from Ebola to COVID-19

Joe Pardo PharmD, Ashutosh M Shukla MD, Gajapathiraju Chamarthi MD, Asmita Gupte MD

Article Type

Review

Published

In this narrative review, an overview of Ebola and coronavirus outbreaks is provided as well as a summary of preclinical and clinical studies of remdesivir for Ebola and COVID-19.

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Pharmacological treatment of COVID-19: lights and shadows

Francesco Menzella MD, Mirella Biava Msc, Chiara Barbieri MD, Francesco Livrieri MD, Nicola Facciolongo MD

Article Type

Review

Published

The aim of this review is to explore COVID-19 treatment options and describe the potential benefits or disadvantages of their use in severe cases.

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