WHO to talk with U.S., Gilead to make coronavirus potential drug remdesivir more widely available

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is planning to speak with the U.S. government and biotech firm Gilead Sciences on making antiviral drug remdesivir more widely available to countries across the globe.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently granted emergency use authorization for Gilead’s drug to treat coronavirus patients after positive results released last week from a U.S. government-run clinical trial. The trial showed some patients who took remdesivir recovered faster than those who didn’t take the drug.

The drug has not been formally approved to treat coronavirus, and U.S. health officials are cautious that new data on the drug has yet to be peer-reviewed.

One top WHO official said he “welcomed” Gilead’s recent data, adding there’s “signals of hope there for the potential use of the drug.”