AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it will invest $3.2 billion in the development and manufacturing of antiviral medicines for COVID-19 and other viruses with "pandemic potential."
"New antivirals that prevent serious COVID-19 illness and death, especially oral drugs that could be taken at home early in the course of disease, would be powerful tools for battling the pandemic and saving lives," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The plan – called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics – will be funded through the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration said.
The investment, Fauci said, "will help inspire medical innovation and build on the extraordinary success we have seen in developing the COVID-19 vaccines."
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