Researcher plays down talk of anti-virus drug success

Too early to draw conclusions, says hospital chief

A drug undergoing clinical research at a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, has not yet proven to be effective in treating the novel coronavirus, despite rumors to the contrary, a scientist in charge of the research has said.

Remdesivir, a drug being developed by United States-based pharmaceutical company Gilead, was being tested to see whether it could be used to treat patients with pneumonia caused by the virus in Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, in Wuhan, the outbreak epicenter, on Wednesday.

On Thursday evening rumors began spreading online saying the first day of trial had achieved a remarkable effect on 761 patients participating in the research.

But Cao Bin, vice-president of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, dismissed this, saying research has only just started and no results have been achieved yet, according to a report by China Youth Daily.

In a statement at the end of last month, Gilead said Remdesivir had not gained approval to enter the market in any country, and its safety and effectiveness had not been proven.