The Indian government said on Tuesday it has approved Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir for emergency use in treating COVID-19 patients.

Remdesivir is the first drug to show improvement in COVID-19 patients in formal clinical trials. It was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration last month and has received approval by Japanese health regulators.

"(Remdesivir) approved on June 1 under emergency use with condition for five dose administration," the Drugs Controller General said in an email statement. The drugmaker did not immediately respond to an email seeking further details.

The approval comes a day after the U.S. drugmaker reported that remdesivir showed modest benefit in patients with moderate COVID-19 given a five-day course, while those who received it for 10 days in the study did not fare as well.

Source: ndtv.com