An American biopharmaceutical company on Monday announced plans to start human trials to test the inhaled version of remdesivir.

Remdesivir is an antiviral drug used as an experimental therapeutic against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a statement, Gilead said it received a green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start the first phase of human trials for the inhalable remdesivir this week.

The study aims to make the drug accessible outside the hospital environment, where the antiviral drug is given intravenously.

The inhaled version will be given through a nebulizer, a device often used by asthma patients.

If successful, the inhaled formula could help make early treatment of the coronavirus possible with the use of portable nebulizers. 

How effective is it?

Remdesivir interferes with the coronavirus ability to replicate.

The scientists hoped that with early intervention, more people infected with COVID-19 would not have to be hospitalized. 

In other viruses, antiviral drugs are more effective when prescribed during the early stages of the disease.

Many studies showed that the same may be true for remdesivir. 

While the drug received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA, its safety and effectivity are still being studied in multiple clinical trials, the New York Times reported. 

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that remdesivir was able to shorten a hospitalized patient's average recovery time by four days.

However, it did not affect the mortality rate.

While the drug may be less effective when given late in infection, early doses could help prevent the virus from developing severe symptoms. 

Gilead Sciences expects to manufacture more than two million courses of its antiviral drug by the end of the year. 

Are there other COVID-19 treatments?

While there has yet to be a proven treatment for COVID-19, researchers and medical experts are looking into a widely available and affordable drug called dexamethasone - a steroid typically prescribed to fight inflammation, as reported in a previous article. 

A trial conducted by researchers from the United Kingdom found the drug could cut a patient's mortality rate, including those on ventilators.

The trial involved 6,400 patients, 2,104 of whom received the medication.

The outcome showed that the drug was able to cut a third of the deaths with patients on ventilators and a fifth on patients requiring oxygens. 

The report garnered enthusiasm across the globe, leading experts to question whether there would be enough of the drug to supply thousands of medical facilities worldwide, the Science Mag reported. 

While dexamethasone is abundant and cheap, Stephen Schondelmeyer, a director at the University of Minnesota, claimed hoarding behaviors started to show following the release of the trial's findings. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) said is still too early to say if there will be a global shortage.

However, the WHO acknowledged that the situation could become dire for the injectable version of the drug, which many physicians prefer over the oral formulation.

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