More than $6 billion in federal funding has been routed through a firm that manages defense contracts, making the agreements subject to less federal scrutiny and transparency.

Health policy researchers say Trump may not be able to pay for the cards, which fall short of lasting policy changes to curb high drug prices.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released plans for the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. The logistical challenges could be as daunting as the scientific ones.

To reassure the public, nine companies issued a joint statement Tuesday saying they won't seek government approval for their coronavirus vaccines until full safety and effectiveness data are in hand.

The federal government is in charge of distributing one of the few treatment options for COVID-19: the antiviral drug remdesivir. But how are decisions made about which states need it most?

Moderna, one of the leading horses in the coronavirus vaccine race, has already made deals at between $32 and $37 a dose for some foreign countries. The U.S. price is expected to be lower.

This is the sixth vaccine candidate to join Operation Warp Speed's portfolio, and the largest vaccine deal to date.

The president says the actions will lower drug prices, but policy experts say they will likely offer patients only minimal relief and may take months to implement, if they're implemented at all.

If the company's vaccine candidate pans out, Americans can receive it for free under the deal. The arrangement is part of the U.S. government's push to have a vaccine widely available by January.

Testing in more than 1,000 people found the vaccine spurred an immune response and had no severe side effects. Larger trials are underway.

Companies that made hats, socks and teddy bears have started producing surgical masks to protect people from COVID-19. Some sellers exaggerate their standing with the Food and Drug Administration.

An experimental COVID-19 medicine that has been shown to shorten the time people with severe illness have to stay in the hospital finally has a price tag that's lower than some analysts expected.

As Operation Warp Speed pushes to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, the number of candidates is being narrowed. The factors guiding the decisions about which projects to fund is unclear.

Various experimental drugs are being studied as potential COVID-19 treatments, but remdesivir is the furthest along right now. The federal government has already shipped remdesivir to all 50 states.

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.

COVID-19 has led to the suspension of many clinical studies of experimental treatments. About a quarter of the stopped trials involved new cancer treatments, an NPR analysis finds.

The Department of Health and Human Services outlines support for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, as the companies work to develop coronavirus vaccines. Beefing up manufacturing capacity is a priority.