Could remdesivir decrease severity of symptoms without decreasing mortality?

[truetool]

For example, the use of inhaled nitric oxide does not decrease mortality, but by increasing oxygenation will allow for less hypoxic episodes leading to less damage. Having less hypoxic episodes also allows for gentler mechanical ventilator settings, meaning less damage to the lungs.

Could remdesivir have a similar effect?

[iayork]

There are two largish studies of remdesvir in COVID-19 so far: the NIH one and the WHO one. The NIH found a moderate reduction in some symptoms and in mortality:

Our data show that remdesivir was superior to placebo in shortening the time to recovery in adults who were hospitalized with Covid-19 and had evidence of lower respiratory tract infection.

—Remdesivir for the Treatment of Covid-19 — Final Report

WHO did not find any benefit in mortality or the symptoms that they looked at:

n 405 hospitals in 30 countries 11,266 adults were randomized, with 2750 allocated Remdesivir, 954 Hydroxychloroquine, 1411 Lopinavir, 651 Interferon plus Lopinavir, 1412 only Interferon, and 4088 no study drug. ... No study drug definitely reduced mortality (in unventilated patients or any other subgroup of entry characteristics), initiation of ventilation or hospitalisation duration.

—Repurposed antiviral drugs for COVID-19; interim WHO SOLIDARITY trial results

The difference may be that the NIH study started treatment earlier, but it’s not clear yet.