Egypt's drugmaker Eva Pharma said on Sunday it had reached a “landmark” deal with Gilead Sciences Inc to become the licensed manufacturer of the US company's antiviral treatment Remdesivir for COVID-19 in 127 countries. Remdesivir is the first treatment shown to be effective against the coronavirus in human trials. The drug has recently been approved for emergency use to treat hospitalised patients in a number of countries including the US and the UK. “The voluntary license agreement provides Eva Pharma with Gilead's technology as well as manufacturing specifications and methods in order to boost the timeline of the production of Remdesivir as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement sent to Ahram Online.