Coronavirus treatments could be available by summer, says US Vice President Mike Pence

Drugs to treat the novel coronavirus could be available by this summer or fall, US Vice President Mike Pence said Monday.

"The vaccine may not be available until late this year or early next, but the therapeutics to give relief to the people who contract the coronavirus could be available by summer or early fall," he told a news conference.

The Gilead drug remdesivir has already been used to treat one infected patient in the US as part of a trial, and the intravenous antiviral is also being deployed in trials in Asia.

Other notable potential treatments include one being developed by Regeneron that uses monoclonal antibodies to fight the infection. The same strategy has been shown to be effective against Ebola.