BRUSSELS: The European Commission, the bloc´s executive arm, on Friday authorised the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat the new coronavirus. “Today´s authorisation of a first medicine to treat COVID-19 is an important step forward in the fight against this virus,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a statement. “We are granting this authorisation less than a month after the application was submitted, showing clearly the EU´s determination to respond quickly whenever new treatments become available,” she said. At least two major US studies have shown that remdesivir can reduce the duration of hospital stays for COVID-19 patients.