South Korea has started distributing stocks of the COVID-19 treatment remdesivir that were donated by the drugmaker Gilead Sciences -- after the United States secured nearly all of its supply of the drug over the next three months.

Speaking at a news conference, the director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said South Korea plans to begin talks to purchase more supplies in August -- making it the first country to disclose a timeline for talks with Gilead.

Remdesivir is expected to be in high demand as one of the few treatments shown to alter the course of COVID-19.

But the U.S. has already secured more than 500,000 treatment courses of the drug -- which represents 100% of Gilead's projected production for July and 90% in August and September.

The intravenously administered medicine has won emergency-use authorization in several countries and full approval in Japan after a clinical trial showed it helped shorten hospital stays.

Gilead said this week it has priced remdesivir at $390 per vial in developed countries and based on current treatment patterns, a course of remdesivir equates to $2,340 per patient.

The price has been a topic of intense debate since U.S. regulators approved its emergency use in some COVID-19 patients in May. Experts have said Gilead would need to avoid appearing to take advantage of a health crisis for profits.

The European Union's healthcare regulator last week recommended conditional approval of the drug when used in the critically ill. The formal go-ahead by the European Commission is expected to follow soon.

Gilead has linked up with generic drugmakers based in India and Pakistan, including Cipla Ltd and Hetero Labs Ltd, to make and supply remdesivir in 127 developing countries.