BEIJING (Bloomberg): Chinese researchers have applied for a local patent on an experimental Gilead Sciences Inc drug that they believe might fight the novel coronavirus outbreak. The move is a sign that China wants more intellectual property sway over a drug it deems one of the most promising candidates. If this patent is granted, Gilead will need to get Chinese patent owners on board when it wants to sell the drug for treating the novel coronavirus infection outside China. While Gilead’s experimental drug isn’t licensed or approved anywhere in the world, it is being rushed into human trials in China on coronavirus patients after showing early signs of being highly effective. Chinese scientists have found Gilead’s remdesivir, and chloroquine, an 80-year-old malaria drug,"highly effective” in laboratory studies at thwarting the novel coronavirus, they said Tuesday in a paper in the journal Cell Research.

Source: The Star February 05, 2020 11:15 UTC