The UK is set to start a new clinical trial, using the anti viral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus.
The new trial was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock in today's daily coronavirus briefing.
Mr Hancock said: “We’re leading the world in the clinical trials being done here in the UK.
“We have some of the best data.
“I’m happy to announce we are beginning a new trial of an anti-viral drug remdesivir.
“There’s been some positive progress and it’s been shown it can shorten recovery times by up to four days.
“This is the biggest step forward in the treatment of coronavirus since the crisis began.”
Mr Hancock also said the government had signed contracts to produce PPE in this country and abroad.
Mr Hancock said: “We’re past the peak and have flattened the curve, but we must keep our resolve.
“I’d like to thank everyone who stuck to social distancing rules over the weekend.
“We’ve been working hard to build PPE, we all heard calls from frontline for more and better PPE.
“I can announce that we have now signed contracts to manufacture two billion items of PPE here in the UK.
"Around the world, we've signed deals with over 100 new suppliers including agreeing contracts for a further 3.7 billion gloves.
"While we continue to improve the logistics and work hard to get everyone the PPE they need, these new supplies mean we're not simply keeping up with demand, we're now able to begin to replenish our stockpiles."
