U.S. regulators have approved the first drug to treat COVID-19.

Remdesivir is an antiviral medicine given through an IV. Its maker, Gilead Sciences, Inc., said Thursday that the drug is approved for people at least 12 years old who need hospitalization for their coronavirus infection. The company has given it the brand name of Veklury.

A large U.S. study found it cut the time to recovery by five days, from 15 days to 10 on average. It has been authorized for use on an emergency basis since spring, and it works by inhibiting a substance the virus uses to make copies of itself.

By — Lakeland News