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The antiviral medicine remdesivir from Gilead Sciences failed to speed the improvement of patients with Covid-19 or prevent them from dying, according to results from a long-awaited clinical trial conducted in China. Gilead, however, said the data suggest a “potential benefit.” A summary of the study results was inadvertently posted to the website of the World Health Organization and seen by STAT on Thursday, but then removed. (Silverman, Feuerstein and Herper, 4/23)

The draft documents posted to the WHO website — and then quickly removed — suggest that the drug did not help patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial in China, and caused significant side effects in several people that led them to end treatment. More participants who received remdesivir died compared to those in the control group, although the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Gilead thinks the results were mischaracterized because the study ended early due to low enrollment, spokesperson Sonia Choi said. "As such, the study results are inconclusive, though trends in the data suggest a potential benefit for remdesivir, particularly among patients treated early in disease." (Owermohle, 4/23)

Drugmaker Eli Lilly said it expects to begin human testing as soon as next month for an experimental Covid-19 treatment that uses antibodies derived from the blood of people who have recovered from the viral disease. The testing could yield results by late summer and, if successful, potential emergency authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by early fall, Lilly Chief Executive David Ricks said in an interview Thursday. (Loftus and Walker, 4/23)

As scientists race to find a COVID-19 vaccine, policymakers and regulators face challenging questions including how to balance efficacy demands with a tight timeline, plans to pay for a potential vaccine and the best way to distribute it. Public health experts have indicated that a COVID-19 vaccine, which will take at least a year to 18 months to develop, is important for a return to normalcy. Last week, the National Institutes of Health announced an initiative to increase collaborative efforts to develop a vaccine and treatments for the COVID-19 pandemic. (Raman, 4/23)