The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics became the first facility in the state of Iowa to take part in clinical trials for one of the most promising drugs to treat coronavirus.

UI Healthcare News confirms that the trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of Remdesivir will involve hospital patients who agree to join the trial, are 12 years of age and older, and who meet other criteria. UIHC already has patients enrolled to participate. Officials say that UIHC joining a clinical trial like this makes this potentially life-saving drug more likely available to Iowans who may need it.

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that in lab tests has been shown effective in treating coronavirus, including MERS and SARS, which appeared in 2012 and 2013. The drug was also effective in SARS-CoV-2, the virus currently spreading that is causing COVID-19. Although the drug's testing with Ebola showed it's safety in humans, it was not successful in treating that disease.

 

READ MORE: Inspiring Stories From the Coronavirus Pandemic

More From Q98.5