File photo of US-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences photo: cnsphoto

US-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences confirmed on Monday that the drug remdesivir is still in research and development, and that it hasn't yet won approval to treat any disease. 

The statement refuted some media rumors that the US has granted China a patent to imitate the drug to fight the novel coronavirus.

On Sunday, news that the White House - following approval from US President Donald Trump - had agreed to share the molecule structure of remdesivir with China until April 27, 2020, appeared on Sina Weibo, China's microblog equivalent to Twitter. It claims that the data was to be shared so that China could produce coronavirus drugs, and the news has since gone viral.

However, the medical information department at Gilead Sciences told the Global Times on Monday via telephone that no Gilead Sciences drugs on the market can treat the novel coronavirus.

At a press conference on Monday, spokesperson for China's National Health Commission Song Shuli said that several medical institutions are carrying out trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of remdesivir.

Kaletra (also named Aluvia), a medicine used to treat HIV, is currently being used to treat the novel coronavirus, as is traditional Chinese medicine, Song said.

On Sunday, the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing announced it will lead a clinical trial to assess the suitability of remdesivir for the treatment of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, bringing hope in the fight against the epidemic.

An application for the three-phase trial has been accepted by China's Center for Drug Evaluation. It is scheduled to begin on Monday and will continue to April 27. The new drug will be tested on 270 patients with mild coronavirus infections, domestic news portal thepaper.cn reported on Sunday.

Following the news, fluorine chemicals manufacturer Zhejiang Yongtai Technology Co said on Monday that the company is in talks with its client Gilead about new cooperation related to the purchase of remdesivir intermediates.

The company's trading in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange rose to the daily limit of 10 percent, hitting 12.72 yuan ($1.81) per share on Monday at the market's close.

The company had not replied to the Global Times' request for comment as of press time.

Gilead rose about 15 percent to $72.29 in pre-market Nasdaq trading on Monday.