Abstract
Two US biotech firms have positioned themselves as front-runners fighting the novel coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2. On Feb. 25, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) said it had begun a Phase II clinical trial of remdesivir, an experimental small-molecule drug made by Gilead Sciences, for treatment of those infected with SARS-CoV-2. On the same day, Moderna said it had shipped its experimental coronavirus vaccine to the NIH, which will conduct a Phase I trial to assess its safety. The entire process—from vaccine design, to manufacturing, to shipment—took only 7 weeks. The news came just as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that US communities should brace for “disruption to everyday life.” Gilead was able to move quickly because it had previously developed remdesivir to treat the Ebola virus. The firm is now launching two of its own Phase III clinical trials of remdesivir, in addition to the
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