THAT
THAT BIDEN ILLUSTRATION ANNOUNCED TODAY IT WILL SPEND MORE THAN THREE
BILLION DOLLARS TO DEVELOP
ANTIVIRAL PILLS TO HELP TREAT
COVID-19 AND INVESTIGATE OTHER
VIRUSES THAT COULD TRIGGER
FUTURE PANDEMICS.
IT'S THE SIXTH OF THE MONEY
THAT THE US PUT INTO DEVELOPING
COVID VACCINES.
BUT HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THEY
HOPE THIS BIG INVESTMENT WILL
LOWER PROFILE RESEARCH AND THAT
IT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
THIS PROGRAM IS GOING TO BRING
TOGETHER LEADING SCIENTISTS
FROM ACADEME AS WELL AS
INDUSTRY TO ACCELERATE
THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW
ANTIVIRALS AND AS I MENTIONED,
IT'S ALSO GOING TO TARGET OTHER
VIRUSES OF PANDEMIC POTENTIAL
TO DR. FOURTY SAYS VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION IS STILL A
PRIORITY BUT HE HOPES THIS NEW
PROGRAM CAN BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS
SIMILAR PROJECTS AROUND HIV AND
HEPATITIS C BA9 HEALTH EXPERT
DR. PAUL KOHLI'S WITH THIS NOW
AND OVER THE LAST YEAR WE'VE
SEEN DIFFERENT TREATMENTS FOR
COVID-19 WE'VE TALKED ABOUT
BOOSTER SHOTS FOR PEOPLE WHO
ARE ALREADY VACCINATED.
THIS THOUGH IS DIFERENCE SO
TALK ABOUT AN ANTIVIRAL PILL.
WHAT WOULD IT DO?
WHEN WOULD SOMEONE BE TAKING IT
?
THIS IS REALLY A REACTION TO
SOMEBODY GETTING SICK, TOM.
SO AN ANTIVIRAL PILL IS EXACTLY
WHAT IT SUGGESTS WHICH IS THAT
IT PREVENTS VIRAL REPLICATION
SO THAT THE VIRUS DOESN'T MAKE
COPIES OF ITSELF INSIDE
THE HOST AND CAUSE FURTHER
DAMAGE.
SO THE TIME TO TAKE THIS WOULD
REALLY BE AT THE ONSET
OF SYMPTOMS.
NOW WHAT WE HAD FOR COVID-19
WAS ANTIVIRALS SUCH AS REM
DESAPIO BUT THOSE WERE GIVEN
THROUGH THE IV SO IT REALLY WAS
ALMOST TOO LATE BY THE TIME
PEOPLE GOT TO THEM.
SO A PILL WOULD CHANGE THAT
WHOLE EQUATION BECAUSE YOU TAKE
IT SO EARLY AND REALLY PREVENT
PEOPLE FROM GETTING INTO
THE HOSPITAL.
SO I'M TRYING TO PUT THIS
TOGETHER.
DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE WOULD
BE TAKING AN ANTIVIRAL PILL
WITHOUT BEING SICK OR WOULD IT
BE SOMETHING IF YOU WERE TO GET
SICK THAT IS WHEN IT WOULD BE
INTRODUCED TO DO YOU YOU'D BE
ABLE TO GET THIS STUFF.
SO THE LATTER SO THINK OF IT
LIKE AN ANTIBIOTIC.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET A SINUS
INFECTION AT THE FIRST SIGN
OF SYMPTOMS, YOU WANT TO TRY TO
TREAT THAT WITH THE MEDICATION.
THIS IS THE SAME WE HAVE
ANTIVIRALS FOR FLU OUT THERE
SUCH AS TAMIFLU AND NOW
THE IDEA IS TO MAKE ANTIVIRALS
FOR SOME OF THE OTHER VIRUSES
OUT THERE THAT WE KNOW AS DR.
PHLLIP SAYS MAY HAVE PANDEMIC
POTENTIAL SO WE CAN BE PREPARED
NEXT TIME IF THIS HITS US ALL
RIGHT TO TAX HERE ONE IS A
FINANCIAL COMMITMENT THAT
THEY'RE MAKING TOWARDS GOING
DOWN THIS ROAD AND THEN
THE REALITY OF THIS WHAT IS
WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN TO TACKLE
BOTH THOSE, IF YOU WILL?
SO I THINK THE FINANCIAL
COMMITMENT REALLY SPEAKS TO A
PHILOSOPHY SHIFT A LITTLE BIT
AWAY FROM THE VACCINATIONS THAT
WE HAVE SOME BREATHING ROOM
MORE TOWARDS TREATMENT AND
PREVENTION FOR THE NEXT ONE.
IT ALSO STARTS TO TELL US THAT
WE REALLY DO THINK THAT THIS
MAY BECOME SEASONAL AND
SOMETHING THAT STICKS AROUND,
WHICH IS WHY WE WANT TO HAVE
THIS OPTION AVAILABLE.
AND IN TERMS OF MAKING IT A
REALITY, TOM, IT'S ALL THE SAME
STEPS THAT WE WENT THROUGH WITH
THE VACCINE.
SO WE FIRST HAVE TO RESEARCH
IT, THEN MANUFACTURE, THEN MAKE
IT ACCESSIBLE AND THEN DECIDE
HOW TO KEEP THE COST AT BAY.
SO THE NICE THING HERE IS WE
HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A SHORTCUT
FOR THE COVID ANTIVIRAL ORAL
THERAPY BECAUSE MERCK HAS
ALREADY MADE AN ORAL PILL THAT
IN EARLY STAGE CLINICAL TRIALS
APPEARS VERY EFFECTIVE IN
THE US JUST BOUGHT ONE POINT
SEVEN MILLION DOSES OF THAT
LAST WEEK.
SO NOW IT'S JUST A MANUFACTURED
JUST A MANUFACTURING ISSUE
GETTING IT TESTED IN LARGER
TRIALS AND HOPEFULLY BY FALL WE
CAN GET IT OUT THERE WITHOUT
THE PRESSURE.
I MEAN WHEN YOU THINK OF THE
PRESSURE OF TRYING TO MAKE THAT
VACCINE AND MAKE LOTS OF IT AND
START TO DISTRIBUTE, THERE IS A
LITTLE MORE DAYLIGHT HERE AS
FAR AS TIME TIME TO DO
THE RESEARCH, TIME TO DO SOME
TESTING AND TIME TO FIGURE OUT
THE BEST WAY TO GET IT OUT INTO
THE PUBLIC.
THERE REALLY IS AND I THINK
EVEN BIGGER THAN THAT WE REALLY
HAVE LEARNED SUCH VALUABLE
LESSONS ABOUT HOW PREPARED WE
ARE AS A COUNTRY, AS A WORLD
FOR THESE TYPES OF ISSUES.
SO I THINK THAT THIS IS REALLY
TEACHING LOTS OF VALUABLE
THINGS AND AND LIKE I SAID, I'M
REALLY HOPEFUL THE RESEARCH
WILL PAN SELF OUT SO THAT COME
FALL IN NEXT YEAR IF ONE OF US
FEEL