Renal and Hepatic Toxicity Analysis of Remdesivir Formulations: Does What Is on the Inside Really Count?

It has been postulated that the injectable solution formulation of remdesivir could be more nephrotoxic than the lyophilized powder since it contains twice as much sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBECD). Therefore, we evaluated 1,000 hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who received remdesivir lyophilized powder or solution. A logistic regression model accounting for baseline confounders identified that neither the use of the injectable solution (odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 2.29; P = 0.901) nor a creatinine clearance of <30 ml/min at the time of remdesivir initiation (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.51 to 3.5; P = 0.499) was significantly associated with acute kidney injury. Regarding hepatoxicity, there was no significant difference in early discontinuation of remdesivir due to abnormal liver function tests between patients who received the lyophilized powder versus those who received solution (0.9% versus 2.3%, P = 0.09).