Japan faces short supply of coronavirus drug remdesivir

Gilead Sciences to distribute enough to cover 140,000 patients worldwide

Some hope Gilead Sciences' Ebola drug remdesivir, left, can prove effective against the novel coronavirus. (Nikkei montage of Reuters/U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases images)

JUNTARO ARAI, Nikkei staff writer

May 2, 2020 00:49 JST

TOKYO -- Japan will not be able to receive a stable supply of promising coronavirus therapy remdesivir from its U.S. developer to treat all patients in need, Nikkei learned Friday.

Remdesivir's developer, Gilead Sciences, plans to distribute enough doses to cover 140,000 patients worldwide, but Japan will receive only a small portion of the supply.