Hundreds of Chinese patients with the coronavirus are being treated with a drug developed in part by a UAB professor.

Dr. Richard Whitley, distinguished professor at the university and the principal investigator of a study to develop treatments for emerging infectious diseases, conducted research that led to the drug remdesivir.

Remdesivir was initially developed to treat MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus. It was also found to have been effective in treating SARS, or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome, another respiratory virus caused by a coronavirus.

The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 and the Wuhan coronavirus, is a separate strain detected in December 2019. This is the coronavirus that was labeled a “public health emergency of international concern.”

UAB said hundreds of coronavirus patients were given remdesivir but the results of its efficacy would not be known until April and there is no data yet showing how effective the drug would be in treating COVID-19.

The university was awarded a $37.5 million grant over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Centers of Excellence for Translational Research that led to the discovery of remdesivir. The research was conducted at the Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center located at UAB.

Gilead Sciences, the biotech company that is part of a private-public partnership that led to the drug’s creation, makes remdesivir. Whitley is a member of Gilead’s board, but UAB said the professor “holds no grants from Gilead, does not do research for pharmaceutical companies, and he does not conduct seminars or talks for Gilead.”

On Friday, the Alabama Department of Public Health stressed that there were no reports of coronavirus cases in Alabama amid concerns that the virus could become a pandemic.

The department said several respiratory viruses are circulating in Alabama and the rest of the country, including common coronaviruses, common colds, and influenza, and that prevention of those viruses would also help stop the spread of any potential COVID-19 cases.

“Since current respiratory outbreaks may make it hard to identify an outbreak of this new coronavirus, the public is reminded to get flu vaccine if they have not received one,” the agency said Friday.

“ADPH reminds the public to follow normal precautions to prevent illness and the spread of disease. Preventative measures include frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, not touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, and staying home when sick,” the department went on to say.

The following are steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 for people with symptoms:

· Stay home except to get medical care

· Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home

· Call ahead before visiting your doctor

· Cover your coughs and sneezes

· Clean your hands often

· Avoid sharing personal household items

· Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day

· Monitor your symptoms

· With a medical emergency when calling 911, notify the dispatcher about your condition