Gilead to begin human trials for the inhaled version of coronavirus drug remdesivir
Gilead Sciences will begin human trials for an inhaled version of its antiviral drug remdesivir in August, the biotech company said Monday.

Remdesivir, which was granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration to treat patients hospitalized with Covid-19, is administered intravenously. The company told investors in April that it was looking to develop easier-to-administer versions of the drug, including an inhaled version. The drug can't be administered in pill form because its chemical makeup would impact the liver, the company noted.

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Gilead said it will administer the drug through a nebulizer, a delivery device that can turn liquid medicines into mist.

An inhaled version "could potentially allow for easier administration outside the hospital, at earlier stages of disease," Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O'Day said in an open letter Monday. "That could have significant implications in helping to stem the tide of the pandemic."

Gilead will screen healthy volunteers for the early-stage trial and hope to begin studies in patients with Covid-19 in August.