A team of scientists at the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health has identified a remdesivir-resistant variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in an immunocompromised patient who was being treated with the widely used antiviral agent.

The researchers said the discovery raises concerns about the emergence of drug resistance in COVID-19 patients, particularly those who are immunocompromised.

“Because of their immunocompromised state, these individuals may be reliant on therapy alone to help clear the virus as they do not have the assistance of an immune response,” said Yale School of Medicine Clinical Fellow Dr. Shiv Gandhi, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s first author. “As a result, they may be more prone to developing resistance to that therapy, whether it be to a small molecule like remdesivir or to an antibody therapy.”

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