The Drug Effectiveness and Side Effects of Remdesivir in Neonatal COVID-19: A Case Series Study

Abstract

: Due to the novelty of COVID-19, no definite treatment has yet been found for this infectious disease, especially in neonates and early infants. Although most of the neonates affected by this virus have a mild or silent course of the disease, in the severe form, there is no approved antiviral drug. This study was done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Remdesivir as the known effective antiviral drug in both adults and children’s populations. In this case series study, we present our experience of the administration of Remdesivir in the treatment of 15 infants with severe neonatal COVID-19, with severe respiratory distress, admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit. We prescribed the drug with a 2 to 3-hour infusion of a loading dose of 5 mg/kg on day 1, followed by 2.5 mg/kg/day 4 days later, concomitant with continuous cardiac monitoring and blood pressure monitoring every 15 minutes. Fortunately, no side effects were reported either during or after the administration of the drug. Long-term patient follows up, for 10 months after birth, did not reveal any particular complications. It seems that the use of Remdesivir to treat severe forms of neonatal and early infancy COVID-19 is safe and effective.