The emergence of Covid 19 pandemic has really put things into perspective for us as a society. Our focus on the things that actually matter is now much more enhanced. With our priorities sorted, we are finally working towards reinventing the core structure of things that top the list. If there is one thing that has gathered more importance than ever before, it’s the medicine sphere. Even though this field already had a level of authority in our lives, its position as one of the centerpieces is pretty much cemented now. Having played a pivotal role during the time when Covid 19 was right at its peak, the medical sphere is now looked at with a refined scope of view. As a result of it, people who are in-charge seem determined to facilitate the growth of this field, and steps are already being taken in that direction.
On 17th June 2021, The US National Institute of Allergy and Diseases (NIAID) announced that Biden administration has made a decision to invest over $3 billion dollars for the development and manufacturing of antiviral medicines. There is expected to be collaboration between National Institute of Health, NAIAD, Biomedical Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to form a response for the pressing requirements of Covid 19 antivirals. This will be facilitated by Antiviral Program of Pandemics. There are two elements within the nucleus of this move. One is definitely to address the current availability issues around lifesaving Covid 19 medicines. Second, on the other hand, is more or less focused on creating better foundations for any potential battles of such nature in future by devoting more time to research and development.
It’s been a long time since such a financial push was made in the field of medicine, and it couldn’t have turned up at a better time. If we are to break down the figures allotted to each aspect of this move, then we’ll see over $300 million being provided for research and lab support, $1 billion for clinical and preclinical evaluation, $700 million for development and manufacturing through NAIAD and BARDA, and over $1.2 billion will be spent on the creation of Antiviral Drug Discovery Centers for pathogens of pandemic concern. Initially, these centers will just focus on coronaviruses before eventually expanding on to accommodate other viruses with pandemic potential.
