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. But finding the money to pay for it could be a problem.
Two years into the pandemic and after nearly a million deaths in the United States, a stalemate 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.
The talks to buy Shionogi¡¯s drug have been preliminary, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions. The drugmaker¡¯s treatment is currently in late-stage clinical trials and hasn¡¯t yet been authorized. In earlier studies, the drug reduced viral loads in patients within the first few days of use.
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