US sinks another $2.1 billion into a potential vaccine

LONDON (AP) — Pharma giants GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur have announced they will supply 100 million doses of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine to the United States as drugmakers scramble to develop drugs to stem the pandemic. The United States will pay up to $2.1 billion “for development including clinical trials, manufacturing, scale-up and delivery of its vaccine,″ the companies said in a statement.  Sanofi will get the bulk of the funds. The U.S. government has a further option for the supply of an additional 500 million doses longer term as part of its Operation Warp Speed program.