The United States on Friday allowed emergency use of remdesivir, an experimental drug that appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster.

It is the first drug shown to help fight COVID-19, which has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide.

US President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Stephen Hahn said the drug would be available for patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir shortened the time to recovery.

Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average versus 15 days for the comparison group.

The US National Institutes of Health’s Dr Anthony Fauci said the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients like those in this study. The drug has not been tested on people with milder illness, and currently is given through an IV in a hospital.