Drugs are being tested that could reduce symptoms and save lives. But, given the way drugs are developed, it's unlikely that any single medicine will be anywhere as potent as a successful vaccine.
Emergency use authorization makes it easier for doctors to use a drug in a manner not specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA granted these drugs this status in March.
Experts say the Communist Party sees more at stake than public health. One of the biggest concerns is the economy. China is also looking to defuse criticism over its early handling of the outbreak.
An uproar followed comments by Sanofi's CEO that if the company develops a vaccine, doses would likely go to Americans first. The board president later insisted, "Any vaccine will be a public good."
Gilead Sciences is donating its initial supply of the experimental treatment for COVID-19. The federal government is deciding where the scarce medicine goes, and there are questions about the choices.
Gilead Sciences has committed to donating the initial supply of the experimental antiviral drug. But executives said the company will need to make expanded production of the treatment sustainable.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of remdesivir for patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Drugmaker Gilead Sciences' lobbying hit a new high in the first quarter.
Experts say it could be dangerous to rely on overseas production of medicine in a crisis, but the U.S. largely does. Rebuilding domestic capacity would take years and substantial investments.
Chloroquine and hydroxycloroquine got the Food and Drug Administration's go-ahead to be put in the nation's strategic storehouses. But the drugs haven't been approved to treat coronavirus patients.
Gilead Science's remdesivir, an antiviral medicine being tested for treatment of COVID-19, would get a seven-year monopoly if approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
A new report finds insurers are becoming more selective about which medications they'll cover. Patients and doctors have to work harder to get treatments approved.
Two nearly identical drug implants have very different prices. The one for kids has a list price of $37,300. For adults, it's $4,400. A dad fought for his daughter to be able to get the cheaper drug.
With drug costs on the rise — and insurers refusing to cover some prescriptions — even patients with insurance can find themselves facing high out-of-pocket costs or going without.
Changes in the way the Food and Drug Administration reviews new medicines means that there are more cures and treatments on the market. But there's also less proof the drugs are safe and effective.
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans has trouble affording prescription drugs, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Over the past decade, high prices of several medicines have become flashpoints.
Infectious disease specialists debate whether it's better to give the strongest antibiotics all at once for drug-resistant germs or save the most innovative medicines for use as a last resort.
The agreement removes the drugmaker from the list of defendants in an upcoming federal opioid trial and follows an August settlement in Oklahoma in which it agreed to pay $572 million.
Washington Post journalist Scott Higham says recently released evidence shows the drug industry purposely shipped big quantities of opioids to communities without regard for how they were being used.
Regulators give many cancer drugs a fast track to market while requiring drugmakers to do more studies after approval. Researchers have found the follow-up studies frequently come up short.
