US OKAY to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients with Remdesivir

Gilead has accelerated its production of the antiviral and last week said that it was confident it would have "several million" doses available by the end of this year, a supply that could be used for patients in this country and others.

"We've donated the entire supply ... because we acknowledge and recognize the human suffering ... and want to make sure nothing gets in the way of this getting to patients," said O'Day.

The development of Remdesivir, which is administered intravenously, had started in 2009 and was used in Ebola patients during the 2000s via an "emergency authorization" by the Food and Drug Administration.

The experimental therapy will be reserved for patients who are gravely ill, which the FDA defines as needing assistance to breathe, and its distribution will be decided upon by the federal government based on criteria such as the number of beds in intensive care units, O'Day said.

He added that the firm will begin shipping tens of thousands of doses at the beginning of this week and will adjust deliveries depending on how the epidemic evolves in various US cities.

Although some experts warn that there was still no guarantee about the safety of the drug or its efficacy in combating the coronavirus, indications in clinical trials were that it can cut the duration of the illness,.

The US currently accounts for the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world.

As of Monday, there were 1,158,040 cases, with 67,682 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.