There is "clear-cut" evidence that a drug can help people recover from the coronavirus, say US officials.

Data from several studies of the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir paints a mixed picture of its effectiveness against coronavirus infection. That's as the US National Institutes of Health says patients given the drug were found to recover faster.

The NIH on Wednesday released a preliminary analysis of a clinical trial launched in the United States. It said that average time to recovery for hospitalized patients with advanced COVID-19 treated with remdesivir was 11 days compared with 15 days for those who received a placebo.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert, said the study has proven that the drug can block the virus. Fauci, who often accompanies President Donald Trump at news conferences, also said the drug will be the standard of care.

The drug's developer, Gilead Sciences, conducted a separate clinical trial. It also reported positive results.

Meanwhile, a British medical journal, Lancet, published results of a clinical trial conducted on 230 patients in China. It reported that "remdesivir was not associated with statistically significant clinical benefits."

The trial was stopped early because there was not sufficient enrolment of participants to complete the study.

Full results of trials conducted around the world are expected to come in mid-May or later.

Remdesivir cut the duration of symptoms from 15 days down to 11 in clinical trial at hospitals around the world reports BBC.