(AP) U.S. government officials say an experimental drug has proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major study. Gilead Sciences’s remdesivir is the first treatment to pass such a strict test against the virus, which has killed more than 218,000 people since it emerged late last year. The study was led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and tested remdesivir versus usual care in more than 1,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients around the world. Results released Wednesday showed the drug reduced the time to recovery by 31%, or four days on average, compared to usual care. It is given through an IV and interferes with the virus’s ability to copy its genetic material.