The US government’s leading infectious disease fighter said a new drug developed by Gilead Science had a “clear-cut, significant positive effect” in speeding up recovery in coronavirus victims, giving hope scientists may be able to develop a therapy to combat the pandemic.

Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, cautioned the trial results for the antiviral drug remdesivir were not a “knockout”. But he compared it to the early anti-HIV drug AZT, which became the basis of future treatments for that virus.

“We think it’s really opening the door to the fact that we now have the capability of treating [Covid-19],” Dr Fauci said on Wednesday. “And I can guarantee you as more people, more companies, more investigators get involved it will get better and better.”