Experimental Drug Shows Promise as Possible Coronavirus Treatment

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants the Food and Drug Administration to move “as quickly as they can” to approve Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for the coronavirus.

“We would like to see very quick approvals, especially with things that work,” he said at a roundtable at the White House with business executives Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the day, the FDA said it has been in “sustained and ongoing” discussions with Gilead to make remdesivir available to Covid-19 patients “as quickly as possible, as appropriate.”

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An experimental antiviral drug to treat COVID-19 patients has fanned high expectations in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which has gained a decisive foothold in the United States and continues to spread around the world.

Gilead Sciences (GILD) acknowledged Wednesday that its drug, remdisivir, has seen positive results in both a company-sponsored and National Institute of Health-run study — with the federal regulators reportedly prepared to bestow emergency approval on the drug, according to The New York Times.

The treatment has been a frontrunner in the treatment race for...