(27 April 2020) Remdesivir- potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells (EC50 = 0.01 μM)

Remdesivir potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in human lung cells and chimeric SARS-CoV expressing the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase in mice.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.27.064279v1

To rapidly evaluate in vivo efficacy, authors have  engineered a chimeric SARS- CoV encoding the viral target of Remdesivir, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, of SARS-CoV-2. In mice infected with chimeric virus, therapeutic RDV administration diminished lung viral load and improved pulmonary function as compared to vehicle treated animals. These data provide evidence that RDV is potently active against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and in vivo, supporting its further clinical testing for treatment of COVID-19.