What role will BARDA play in the pandemic?

There’s a government agency meant explicitly to invest in technologies the private sector won’t touch — such as vaccines or treatments for diseases like Ebola, Zika, anthrax, and swine flu. Now, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has been given a $3.5 billion boost from Congress to help fund coronavirus research.

But what’s BARDA’s game plan? It’s pouring millions into vaccine projects from companies like Moderna Therapeutics and Johnson & Johnson, and intends to invest in a wider array of tools to combat the pandemic. Still, biotech experts doubt the agency is prepared for such a massive new workload, STAT’s Nicholas Florko reports.

“Everyone knows that the government wheels can turn slowly and bureaucracy can raise its ugly head, and this is a race against time,” BIO President Jim Greenwood said. “This is a matter of life and death.”