Gilead's coronavirus treatment remdesivir just succeeded in a crucial study, raising hopes for a first COVID-19 drug

• A leading coronavirus treatment candidate succeeded in a critical trial, the biotechnology company Gilead Sciences said Thursday.
• The antiviral drug remdesivir is being tested in several ongoing trials of COVID-19 patients. Gilead stated that one of these studies, run by the US National Institutes of Health, shows the drug works.
• "We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint and that NIAID will provide detailed information at an upcoming briefing," Gilead said in a statement.
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A leading coronavirus treatment candidate succeeded in a critical trial, the biotechnology company Gilead Sciences said Wednesday.

The antiviral drug remdesivir is being tested in several ongoing trials of COVID-19 patients. Gilead stated that one of these studies, run by the US National Institutes of Health, shows the drug works. The company didn't provide additional data on the drug.

"We understand that the trial has met its primary endpoint," Gilead said in a statement. The company said that the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases would provide more information at a briefing.

Separately, Gilead put out data from its own trial of remdesivir in a statement. That trial didn't include a comparison group known as a control arm, making it more difficult to draw strong conclusions about the treatment.

Gilead's stock was halted ahead of the release.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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