Evaluation of Adverse Drug Events of Remdesivir for the Treatment of COVID-19 in Patients Contacting the 13-Aban Pharmacy Drug and Poison Information Center

Amirhosein Ghahremanian; Hasti Photography; Sona Ghasemi; Mohammadreza Heidari; Elliyeh Ghadrdan

doi:10.18502/jpc.v11i3.15997

Amirhosein Ghahremanian Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 13‑Aban Drug and Poison Information Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hasti Photography Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 13‑Aban Drug and Poison Information Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sona Ghasemi Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 13‑Aban Drug and Poison Information Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammadreza Heidari Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 13‑Aban Drug and Poison Information Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Elliyeh Ghadrdan Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jpc.v11i3.15997

Keywords: COVID-19; Remdesivir; Adverse Drug Event

Abstract

Background: One of the FDA-approved treatments for COVID-19 is remdesivir. In this study, we investigated adverse drug events (ADEs) of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients who contacted 13-Aban pharmacy’s drug and poison information center (DPIC).

Methods: In this study, data of patients receiving remdesivir who contacted the 13-Aban pharmacy’s DPIC between April 2021 and May 2022 were extracted. For the evaluation of potential ADEs, we reviewed all contacts related to remdesivir recipients.

Results: Out of 223 patients enrolled, 108 (48.40%) developed 120 ADEs. Elevated liver transaminase levels (26.67%) were the most common ADE, followed by weakness (7.5%), nausea, and vomiting (7.5%). The causality assessment of ADE using the Naranjo scale revealed that 41.67% were probable and 58.33% were possible.

Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, hepatic dysfunction was the most prevalent ADE among remdesivir recipients; thus, in order to ensure safe use of remdesivir, patients should be closely monitored for this ADE.