COVID-19 Case Report Published in Pharmacotherapy

April 13, 2020

Clinical pharmacists are critical members of the health care teams providing care for patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They help define the most optimal therapy and ensure that it is delivered as efficiently as possible. ACCP member, Dr. Julie Belfer, Pharm.D., BCCCP, BCPS, submitted an important case for publication in Pharmacotherapy, one that will guide others in their treatment of COVID-19 patients. Dr. Belfer and her colleagues (Drs. Emily N. Hillaker, Anamaria B. Bondici, Hani Murad, and Lisa E. Dumkow) reported successful treatment of a COVID-19 positive patient with remdesivir despite late initiation, thirteen days after symptom onset. Remdesivir is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2, but was only available under compassionate use protocols when the COVID-19 pandemic became apparent in the United States and when Dr. Belfer’s patient required treatment. Dr. Belfer states that this case report “highlights the urgent need for regulatory agencies to address and improve the process for safe and effective drug approval during times of pandemic disease outbreak.” An early draft of the case report is available, free to download at: https://accpjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/phar.2403, and a podcast with the clinical pharmacists involved in the case, Drs. Belfer and Dumkow, is available at: https://anchor.fm/accp-jrnls/episodes/Delayed-Initiation-of-Remdesivir-in-a-COVID-19-Positive-Patient-ecoa6t.