Gilead Sciences provides experimental drug for trial and emergency treatment against 2019-nCoV

Research biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences announced last week that it has joined efforts to contain the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) through requested release of an experimental drug known as remdesivir.

Remdesivir is not yet licensed or approved anywhere in the world. However, due to the request of treating physicians and the support of local regulatory agencies, Gilead has provided the drug for use in a small number of emergency cases where no other approved treatment options can be found. It is also working with Chinese health authorities to create a randomized, controlled trial of remdesivir to chart its safety and efficacy against 2019-nCoV.

“While there are no antiviral data for remdesivir that show activity against 2019-nCoV at this time, available data in other coronaviruses give us hope,” Dr. Merdad Parsey, Chief Medical Officer at Gilead Sciences, said in a statement. “Remdesivir has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo activity in animal models against the viral pathogens MERS and SARS, which are coronaviruses that are structurally similar to 2019-nCoV. There are also limited clinical data available from the emergency use of remdesivir in the treatment of patients with Ebola virus infection.”

Parsey also noted that Gilead is now working with various departments, organizations and individuals, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the China CDC and National Medical Product Administration, the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, to figure out how best to contribute its antiviral knowledge and resources in the fight against 2019-nCoV.

Further, lab testing of remdesivir is being expedited against 2019-nCoV samples.