Remdesivir treatment in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a comparative analysis of in-hospital all-cause mortality in a large multi-center observational cohort

Abstract

Abstract Background Remdesivir (RDV) improved clinical outcomes among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in randomized trials, but data from clinical practice are limited. Methods We examined survival outcomes for US patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between Aug-Nov 2020 and treated with RDV within two-days of hospitalization vs. those not receiving RDV during their hospitalization using the Premier Healthcare Database. Preferential within-hospital propensity score matching with replacement was used. Additionally, patients were also matched on baseline oxygenation level (no supplemental oxygen charges (NSO), low-flow oxygen (LFO), high-flow oxygen/non-invasive ventilation (HFO/NIV) and invasive mechanical ventilation/ECMO (IMV/ECMO) and two-month admission window and excluded if discharged within 3-days of admission (to exclude anticipated discharges/transfers within 72-hrs consistent with ACTT-1 study). Cox Proportional Hazards models were used to assess time to 14-/28-day mortality overall and for patients on NSO, LFO, HFO/NIV and IMV/ECMO. Results 28,855 RDV patients were matched to 16,687 unique non-RDV patients. Overall, 10.6% and 15.4% RDV patients died within 14- and 28-days, respectively compared with 15.4% and 19.1% non-RDV patients. Overall, RDV was associated with a reduction in mortality at 14-days (HR[95% CI]: 0.76[0.70−0.83]) and 28-days (0.89[0.82−0.96]). This mortality benefit was also seen for NSO, LFO and IMV/ECMO at 14-days (NSO:0.69[0.57−0.83], LFO:0.68[0.80−0.77], IMV/ECMO:0.70[0.58−0.84]) and 28-days (NSO:0.80[0.68−0.94], LFO:0.77[0.68−0.86], IMV/ECMO:0.81[0.69−0.94]). Additionally, HFO/NIV RDV group had a lower risk of mortality at 14-days (0.81[0.70−0.93]) but no statistical significance at 28-days. Conclusions RDV initiated upon hospital admission was associated with improved survival among COVID-19 patients. Our findings complement ACTT-1 and support RDV as a foundational treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.