Other viruses, such as the flu, HIV and hepatitis C, can be treated with an antiviral pill. Antivirals for COVID-19 could keep people out of the hospital and save many lives both in the U.S. and abroad, HHS said.
The money will go to speeding up clinical trials of several promising drug candidates, The New York Times reported. If the trials go well, a drug may be available by the end of this year.
The initiative, called Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will also fund research on new drugs for viruses that could cause future pandemics.
The government has invested much more money in developing vaccines than treatments, the Times reported. Remdesivir is the only antiviral that has demonstrated a clear benefit to hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Remdesivir was originally studied as a potential cure for Ebola, but in trials it seemed to shorten the course of COVID-19 when given intravenously to patients, the Times reported. It’s the first and only antiviral drug to gain full FDA approval to treat COVID-19.
But the research surrounding remdesivir’s effectiveness has underwhelmed some experts, and in November the World Health Organization recommended against using it. Some experts predict it could work better if people could take it earlier in the course of the disease in the form of a pill.
Read HHS’ full news release here.
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