Doctor Ognjen Gajić, an eminent Bosnian and American intensive care physician, pulmonologist, university professor and clinical informaticist, and intensive care specialist of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in the United States of America, for N1, explains what the drug Remdesivir is for patients with COVID-19, which is a hot topic in BiH these days. "Remdesivir is currently the only antiviral drug that has shown any effect in randomized clinical studies. It reduces the length of the symptoms and shortens and eases the course of the disease, but it has not been proven to reduce mortality," says Dr. Gajic. The medicine is already in use in Serbia, and considering that it is very expensive for our circumstances, Bosnia and Herzegovina is still planning to purchase it. We also asked Dr. Gajić about the justification of high prices because Remdesivir does not cure but only helps patients. According to N1's knowledge, it is necessary to allocate 100,000 KM for this medicine only for 20 patients. "I cannot comment on the justification because it depends on local conditions. The only drugs that have shown reduced mortality are steroids used in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By far the most important is a well-trained and adequately supplied intensive care unit with educated nurses technicians and subspecialist doctors. One of the units that has very good results is the intensive care unit in Banja Luka under the leadership of Dr. Peđa Kovačević and his colleagues. Ognjen Gajić. The US and the Mayo Clinic are already using the drug Remdesivir. "We regularly use Remdesivir in more serious patients who require hospital treatment. It is quite well tolerated. As I said, randomized studies have shown that it has a favorable effect on the length and severity of the disease, although it does not reduce mortality," concluded Prof. Ph.D. Ognjena Gajić from the Mayo Clinic in the USA. (https://www.oslobodjenje.ba/)
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