Free Republic

Amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Gilead Sciences’ experimental remdesivir has emerged as the most promising candidate against the deadly pathogen. But its patent in China has also drawn some unexpected confusion. The Chinese pharma BrightGene has successfully copied remdesivir, the company said in a disclosure (PDF, Chinese) to China’s Nasdaq-style Star market on Wednesday. What's more, the Suzhou-based firm said it has already mass-produced remdesivir's active ingredient and is in the process of turning it into finished doses. The company’s stock jumped 20% at the news, hitting the daily price move cap allowed on the exchange. BrightGene doesn’t seem to...

The Wuhan Institute of Virology, part of the China Academy of Sciences, has applied to patent the use of Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir to treat the current coronavirus outbreak. The company has partnered with Chinese health authorities to run a Phase III clinical trial to assess remdesivir for treatment of the virus. The drug was originally developed to treat the Ebola virus, but wasn’t effective. Preclinical assays have suggested that the drug might be effective against the coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, as was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The drug was given to a U.S. patient for compassionate use...