You don't know how medicines are developed do you? They are developed at risk and if they work people buy them.so i wonder why the US government approached merck and not the hundreds of other drug manufacturers especially the big half dozen involved in the production of the vaccines surely they would have been the first port of call with all the research they must have done into covid .
But no they approach a company who just happen to have an existing drug that is getting used around the world to treat it endorsed or not
guess they just stuck a pin in a list and said they will do
The order for millions of doses was for a product that has passed initial testing, not for original research.
Are they supposed to buy drugs that don't exist?