Posted by Michael Wonder on 10 Apr 2020
This tiny federal agency was built to respond to a crisis like coronavirus. Now that it’s here, is BARDA ready?
6 April 2020 - It seems like an agency tailor-made for a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, was created to invest in drug development projects that private industry wouldn’t touch, such as anthrax vaccines and therapies for Ebola, Zika, or swine flu.
Lawmakers were so confident that BARDA could help scientists develop a coronavirus vaccine, therapy, or even a diagnostic test that Congress has showered the agency with a $3.5 billion boost in funding, more than tripling its total budget.
