UHPLC Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 drug Remdesivir and its active metabolite GS-441524

Treatment options for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19

Remdesivir and GS-441524 are antiviral drugs that have been investigated for the treatment of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Remdesivir is a nucleotide analogue inhibitor that can inhibit the replication of animal and human coronaviruses. Since it is a pro-drug, it needs to be metabolised into a pharmacologically active metabolite.

GS-441524 is the nucleoside of Remdesivir and its predominant metabolite. Remdesivir diffuses into cells where it is metabolised and inhibits viral RNA polymerase in order to prevent replication of the virus by chain termination during RNA replication. Remdesivir is already approved for emergency use to treat COVID-19 in many countries, in contrast to GS-441524 which is still being discussed at this time.

Quick UHPLC separation using YMC-Triart C18 column

This application note shows how to obtain a fast separation of GS-441524 and Remdesivir in only 3 minutes. Besides fast analyses, the YMC-Triart column used provides excellent lot-to-lot reproducibility and reliable results making it an ideal choice for QC purposes. Due to its high surface area, YMC-Triart C18 is also suitable for the analysis of GS-441524 in challenging sample matrices such as plasma. YMC-Triart is not only available with 1.9 µm as applied here, but also with 3 and 5 µm, if larger particle sizes are preferred.