The United States federal government has bought out nearly the entire supply of remdesivir, one of only two drugs found to be at least moderately effective against COVID-19, that will be made in the next three months. Trials showed that the drug aids in quicker recovery for the new coronavirus. The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it had purchased 500,000 doses, vacuuming up 90 percent of what manufacturer Gilead will produce in July, August, and September. “They’ve got access to most of the drug supply [of remdesivir], so there’s nothing for Europe,” Dr. Andrew Hill, a Liverpool University fellow, told The Guardian. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement, “President Trump has struck an amazing deal to ensure Americans have access to the first authorized therapeutic for COVID-19.”
