Study results for a leading potential coronavirus treatment were accidentally released by the WHO and then taken down

• The World Health Organization accidentally posted study results showing that a leading potential coronavirus treatment did not help a group of patients with severe coronavirus cases, according to a new report from STAT.
• STAT reported Thursday that "a summary of the study results was inadvertently posted" to the WHO's website.
• Those results failed to show patients improving faster when given remdesivir. After a month in this study from China, 13.9% of patients on the antiviral drug died compared to 12.8% on the placebo arm, according to STAT.
• Gilead Sciences, which developed remdesivir and is now testing it in its own trials, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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A leading coronavirus treatment candidate did not help severe coronavirus patients survive better than a placebo group, according to study results reported by STAT.

STAT reported that the World Health Organization's website accidentally posted a summary of study results showing the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir did not benefit patients.

The WHO has since taken down the inadvertent posting. Gilead and WHO did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gilead's stock fell 5.9% to $76.51 on Thursday afternoon.

According to STAT, the posting showed that 13.9% of patients on remdesivir died after a month of follow-up, compared to 12.8% who got a placebo. The trial was focused on a group of patients with severe COVID-19.

It is the second unusual leak of remdesivir data in a matter of days. STAT had also reported on a leaked video showing University of Chicago researchers discussing promising results from a different remdesivir study.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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