Sen. Bernie Sanders introduces Long COVID Research Moonshot Act in Senate

Senator Bernie Sanders, along with several Democratic senators, has introduced the Long COVID Research Moonshot Act in the Senate. The act aims to provide $1 billion a year for 10 years for long COVID research efforts. This legislative initiative comes as a response to the ongoing challenges faced by individuals suffering from long-term effects of COVID-19.

The bill seeks to address the lack of effective treatments and approved therapies for long COVID, a condition affecting an estimated 20 million people in the U.S. alone. Despite initial hopes surrounding research funding, progress in developing treatments has been slow, leading to frustration among patients and researchers alike.

In light of these challenges, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) received an additional $515 million this year for the RECOVER program, focusing on finding treatments for long COVID. Efforts are being made to prioritize clinical trials and drug development to accelerate progress towards identifying viable treatment options.

Joseph Breen at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH mentioned they are soliciting ideas for drugs and other treatments to trial, with plans to begin as soon as possible. Researchers stress the importance of fast-tracking the testing of multiple drug targets to maximize outcomes and improve the efficiency of clinical trials.

Patient advocates like Charlie McCone remain cautiously optimistic about the future of long COVID research. As someone directly impacted by the condition, McCone emphasizes the urgency of finding effective treatments quickly. While the current wave of funding is a positive step forward, he highlights that sustained investment will be necessary to continue making advancements in understanding and treating long COVID.