US-based Nigerian Doctor, Babafemi Taiwo Leads Study on Antiviral Drug for COVID-19

US-based Nigerian Doctor, Babafemi Taiwo Leads Study on Antiviral Drug for COVID-19

Dr Babafemi Taiwo, a Nigerian doctor based in the US, is leading a major study on an antiviral drug named Remdesivir, for the treatment of COVID-19.

The results from the initial testing of the use of Remdesivir in treating Coronavirus has been generally positive, as preliminary data from the National Institutes of Health indicated that Remdesivir appears to help patients with Coronavirus recover faster. Remdesivir is made by Gilead Sciences.

In a recent interview with CNN, Dr Babafemi disclosed that Remdesivir has made significant strides in helping patients with Coronavirus recover well.

“Everything that we’ve seen so far gives a lot of optimism and hope,” he stated.

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Dr Babafemi Taiwo is the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago. He is also the Director of the Clinical Core of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research, and the Leader of the Northwestern University Site of the NIAID-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). At Northwestern University, he leads clinical and translational HIV researchers from infectious diseases, hepatology, neurology, radiology, cardiology and nursing, and directs the development and implementation of NIH-sponsored interventional and observational HIV studies.  

He won the John Carey Young Investigator Award in 2009 in recognition of his contributions to research on HIV resistance and management of co-infections.

Below is a video of Dr Babafemi Taiwo speaking to CNN about the promising results of Remdesivir in treating COVID-19.