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thanks so much for the link!below is the whole thing.Some ignore links.
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Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, said researchers are moving “as rapidly as humanly possible” to develop vaccines and treatment for COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 100,000 people and killed 3,400.

Collins singled out a potential treatment researched through the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham during a presentation at the university. Remdesivir, a compound developed by pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, has already been given to infected patients in China and Nebraska in the hope it can reduce serious complications. No treatments for the new virus have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The National Institutes of Health doles out federal funding for biomedical research, including $39 million for the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center. Results from studies on human coronavirus patients won’t be available until next month.

Remdesivir was developed as a potential treatment for Ebola but did not perform as well as alternatives in clinical trials. But it has shown some effectiveness against other coronaviruses SARS and MERS in the laboratory. The drug is designed to block the replication of the virus that causes COVID-19.

“Remdesivir actually does provide benefit in an animal model against MERS,” Collins said.

Volunteers for the study include people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship who get the compound as part of their treatment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, according to the NIH.

“We urgently need a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Although remdesivir has been administered to some patients with COVID-19, we do not have solid data to indicate it can improve clinical outcomes.”

Trials for Ebola proved remdesivir was safe for patients, and researchers hope the current studies will show it works against COVID-19. If it does, the treatment could still face obstacles that prevent its widespread use.

“Since this is a drug that hasn’t actually been approved by the FDA, can we find enough doses?” Collins said.

Many pharmaceutical components are manufactured in China, which has been crippled by the COVID-19 outbreak, Collins said. Gilead would be responsible for increasing supplies of the drug, although Collins said the NIH is also helping drug makers with supply problems caused by the outbreak.

“One of the things this shows is how vulnerable we are as a global community to pipeline disruptions,” Collins said. “It makes you realize you don’t have a good backup plan.”

Other antiviral drugs, including some used in the treatment of patients with HIV, have been tested against the new virus. So far, none have been approved against COVID-19.

Doctors want to find an effective treatment because vaccines to prevent infections typically take much longer to make.

Development of a coronavirus vaccine started within 24 hours after scientists identified the RNA of the virus and has moved quickly, Collins said. It often takes several years to create and test new vaccines. Researchers could begin trials as early as April, but a vaccine might not be commercially available for some time.

“Realistically we are a year away,” Collins said. “No one should count on that being the solution in 2020.”
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If this is indeed the cure Pres.Trump has stated in the past,if I’m not mistaken,that he is not opposed to people in need of the drug being allowed to take it.Gotta wonder if this is it?