US allows use of 1st drug shown to help virus recovery

MATTHEW PERRONE and MARILYNN MARCHIONE

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus.

The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science's intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with "severe disease," such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators.

President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O'Day and Foo...