US invests more than $2 bln to develop coronavirus vaccine

• US federal agency that funds disease-fighting technology, will provide up to $1.2 billion to accelerate British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc's vaccine development and secure 300 million doses.
• The agency has awarded grants to Moderna, the first in the US to begin human trials of a coronavirus vaccine, Sanofi, the world's largest vaccine maker, and Johnson & Johnson.

As drugmakers race to develop vaccines for the novel coronavirus, the United States is rushing to secure access to these medicines by providing funding.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a US federal agency that funds disease-fighting technology, will provide up to $1.2 billion to accelerate British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc's vaccine development and secure 300 million doses. BARDA has invested more than $2 billion and funded more than 30 projects, including for diagnostics and treatments. The agency has awarded grants to Moderna, the first in the US to begin human trials of a coronavirus vaccine, Sanofi, the world's largest vaccine maker, and Johnson & Johnson.