Meanwhile, in Wuhan

The outbreak of a novel coronavirus has evolved into global panic. Here’s a roundup of how the drug industry has responded in recent days.

• Gilead Sciences is providing remdesivir, an investigational antiviral, as a treatment for people infected with the virus, and it has signed an agreement with Chinese authorities to run a clinical trial of the drug.
• Oxford Nanopore sent 200 of its miniature sequencers to labs in China, hoping to assist with outbreak surveillance.
• GSK will make its adjuvant technology available to support development of candidate vaccines.
• About a dozen drug companies have committed to developing vaccines for the virus, a group that includes Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Therapeutics, and CureVac. Seven more are working on treatments for patients who have already been infected, led by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Vir Biotechnology, and AbCellera.

In the meantime, here’s a reminder of the many reasons that developing a drug or vaccine amid an outbreak is exceedingly challenging.