China’s move to patent Gilead’s experimental virus drug could lead to legal battle

Gilead said it applied for a global patent in 2016

Who owns the coronavirus cure?

That could be setting up as the next U.S. versus China fight over intellectual property and marketing rights.

Institute of Virology in Wuhan filed a patent for Gilead’s remdesivir antiviral drug on January 21, according to the South China Morning Post.

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California-based Gilead said it applied for a global patent in 2016, including in China, in a statement to the Post.

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Studies have been conducted outside the human bodies and found that Gilead’s remdesivir compound and the off-patent chloroquine malaria drug are both “highly effective” in the control of coronavirus infection.

CHINA'S CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK KILLS 563, INFECTS 28,018: HERE'S EVERYWHERE IT'S SPREAD

The deadly viral outbreak has triggered panic across the globe, forcing China to lock down Wuhan and other cities in central Hubei province where the virus originated.

It has also forced companies to shut their businesses in the mainland, forced border controls and rattled global markets.

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The virus has claimed more than 560 lives and infected at least 27,000 people