Trump administration officials fought over whether — and ultimately declined — to fund the same antiviral drug that Merck announced yesterday significantly reduces hospitalizations and deaths among coronavirus patients.
Trump administration officials fought over whether — and ultimately declined — to fund the same antiviral drug that Merck announced yesterdayThe Trump administration's decision almost certainly delayed the development of the drug. Having an effective antiviral pill during the Delta wave could have substantially reduced its death toll.
The drug "was presented as a 'miracle cure' for influenza, Ebola and nearly every other virus, even though the developer had not yet conducted clinical trials and no data had been compiled to demonstrate either the efficacy or safety of the drug in humans," Bright wrote. But another top health official, Robert Kadlec, had "indicated his enthusiasm for [the drug]’s potential."
BARDA ultimately declined to fund the manufacturing of the drug — which had already received $30 million from the federal government for phase 1 clinical trials — until more data was available. In late February of last year, the Emory researcher and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics asked for federal funding of the drug again, but as a treatment for COVID-19. Officials fought again, and ultimately declined to fund the drug.
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