By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/investing/gilead-sciences-coronavirus-stock/index.html

There is no cure for the deadly Wuhan coronavirus, but several big biotech companies are hoping they can treat the symptoms with existing antiviral medications.

Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical firm with an experimental drug called remdesivir that is used to treat the Ebola virus, said late Friday it is working with Chinese health authorities to see if the medication can combat the symptoms of coronavirus.

The company said in a statement that remdesivir has demonstrated some success in treating MERS and SARS, two viruses similar to the Wuhan coronavirus, in animals.

Remdesivir has also been used for emergency treatment of patients with Ebola. But the drug has not yet been officially licensed or approved for treatment by any global health organization, Gilead added.