Would this have anything to do with Merck’s statements about ivermectin being dangerous for covid treatment?
https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/merck-coronavirus-drug-supply-operation-warp-speed/592712/
Merck signs $356M deal to supply US with experimental coronavirus drug
23 Dec 2020
The U.S. government will pay Merck & Co. $356 million for between 60,000 and 100,000 doses of an experimental drug being tested as a treatment of gravely ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Merck acquired the drug, dubbed MK-7110, in a $425 million buyout of the biotech OncoImmune last month.
The therapy is designed to tamp down on the body’s inflammatory response to coronavirus infections, which can cause complications and death even after virus replication is brought under control. The approach is similar to the thinking behind repurposing anti-inflammatory drugs from Roche, Regeneron and others, although clinical trials of those therapies have failed or produced mixed results.
The deal announced Wednesday suggests the U.S. government sees a continued need for new drugs for severely sick patients even as it rolls out a mass vaccination program with newly authorized shots from Pfizer and Moderna.
Also interesting this was 2 months before the outbreak of covid.