(Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc (O:GILD) said on Friday additional data from a late-stage study showed its antiviral remdesivir significantly improved clinical recovery and reduced the risk of death in COVID-19 patients.
The company said the finding requires confirmation in prospective clinical trials.
Gilead said it analyzed data from 312 patients treated in a late-stage study and a separate real-world retrospective cohort of 818 patients with similar characteristics and disease severity as in the study.
Findings from the analysis of its late-stage study showed that 74.4% of remdesivir-treated patients recovered by Day 14 versus 59.0% of patients receiving standard of care, the company said.
The mortality rate for patients treated with remdesivir in the analysis was 7.6% at Day 14, compared with 12.5% among patients not on remdesivir.
Gilead shares were up nearly 2% at $76.14 in trading before the bell.