Prognosis
U.S. Risks Missing Out on New Covid Pill As Funds Run Out
- Stalled funding deal in Congress could prevent drug purchase
- Administration hopes to add more drugs to stockpile but can’t
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In its quest to build up its stockpile of Covid-19 drugs, the U.S. government has held talks with Japanese drugmaker Shionogi & Co. about buying its experimental antiviral pill, people familiar with the matter said. Finding the money to pay for it could be a problem.
Two years into the pandemic and after nearly a million deaths in the U.S., a standoff in Congress has left those in charge of building up the country’s drug supplies without the resources to do so. The implications are far-reaching. The government needs more funding to pay for existing orders with companies like Pfizer Inc. and could end up unable to invest in new therapies like Shionogi’s.