The U.S. could run out of several key COVID-19 medications this summer if more emergency funding is not secured to replenish supplies, Bloomberg reported May 17.
Supplies of Eli Lilly's bebtelovimab — one of the few monoclonal antibody treatments effective against omicron — may run dry by summer, a senior health official for the Biden administration told Bloomberg.
Stockpiles of AstraZeneca's antibody drug Evusheld, which has proven effective against BA.2, the nation's dominant strain, could run out by fall, according to the official, who asked to remain anonymous. The official said the U.S. expects stockpiles of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid to last through fall.
HHS is set to extend the COVID-19 public health emergency past mid-July, which allows for the use of authorized COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics during the pandemic. However, the Biden administration is still trying to secure an additional $10 billion in emergency funding — down from $22.5 billion first requested in March — to purchase more vaccines and therapeutics before another potential wave this fall.