Unproven Covid Pills Could Be Biden's Secret Weapon
Highly convenient oral drugs could be a pandemic game changer. With enough investment, the U.S. could make a whole lot of them for the world.
Joe Biden says the U.S. should do its part in the global pandemic fight. He's right, but he needs to think beyond vaccines.
Photographer: Oliver Contreras/SipaPresident Joe Biden unveiled big plans earlier this month for the U.S. fight against Covid-19, anchored by expansive vaccine mandates and a planned rollout of booster shots. On Wednesday, he turned his focus abroad, hosting a virtual vaccine summit with global leaders aimed at protecting the world. But there’s more he can do.
Three pharmaceutical giants — Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc. and Roche Holding AG — are in the late stages of testing oral antiviral drugs (Merck in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP and Roche with Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc.) that aim to block the Covid-19 virus from replicating. If given early in the course of infection, these medicines have the potential to keep people from getting severely ill or ending up in the hospital. Because pills are relatively cheap to manufacture in large amounts and easy to distribute, expanded funding could make them a pandemic game changer. The U.S. has already promised to buy a limited supply of Merck’s treatment and announced $3.2 billion in general antiviral investment in June. But investing more in all three programs ahead of authorization could ensure ample supply of what may be very useful medicines to deploy as soon as regulators give the go-ahead.