This tiny federal agency was built to respond to a crisis like coronavirus. Now that it’s here, is BARDA ready?

WASHINGTON — It seems like an agency tailor-made for a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, was created to invest in drug development projects that private industry wouldn’t touch, such as anthrax vaccines and therapies for Ebola, Zika, or swine flu.