Gilead prices COVID-19 drug candidate remdesivir at $2,340 per patient

FILE PHOTO: Gilead Sciences Inc pharmaceutical company is seen after they announced a Phase 3 Trial of the investigational antiviral drug Remdesivir in patients with severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Oceanside, California, U.S., April 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc has priced its COVID-19 drug candidate remdesivir at $2,340 (1,900 pounds) for a five-day treatment in the United States and some other developed countries, potentially reflecting looming competition from a cheap steroid.

The price tag is below the $5,080 per course recommendation by U.S. drug pricing research group, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), last week.