US to spend $3.2B on treatments for COVID-19, other viruses

The United States is devoting more than $3 billion to speed development of treatments for COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses

WASHINGTON -- The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to speed development of antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics. The new program will invest in “accelerating things that are already in progress” for COVID-19 but also would work to come up with treatments for other viruses, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. He announced the investment Thursday at a White House briefing. “There are few treatments that exist for many of the viruses that have pandemic potential,” he said, including Ebola, dengue, West Nile and Middle East respiratory syndrome. But he added, “vaccines clearly remain the centerpiece of our arsenal.