Gilead Sciences antiviral drug remdesivir has shown promise in treating patients suffering from COVID-19, and the company’s chief executive says it will be in the hands of doctors and patients as early as this week.

Appearing on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, CEO Daniel O’Day said Gilead donated 1.5 million vials to the U.S. government - enough to treat 150,000 to 200,000 patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week granted authorization for the emergency use of remdesivir to treat patients with severe COVID-19, following preliminary results from a study which found that patients given remdesivir recovered 31% faster than those given a placebo.