I don't think that's true. Even a cursory search turns up, as the first response, this:
NIH has received almost $4.9 billion to date to fund important COVID-19 research on diagnostic tests, vaccines, and treatments. More than $940 million came from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020, with supplemental funding coming from the U.S. Congress .
Edit: I guess that you could argue that it wasn't all for a single drug
Covid was different because of the urgency. A nation which gets vaccine first could easily recoup much more than $5B when the rest of the world is closed.
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I don't think that's true. Even a cursory search turns up, as the first response, this:
NIH has received almost $4.9 billion to date to fund important COVID-19 research on diagnostic tests, vaccines, and treatments. More than $940 million came from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020, with supplemental funding coming from the U.S. Congress .
Edit: I guess that you could argue that it wasn't all for a single drug
You're right - 1/5 more so than 1/4. And yes, it wasn't all for a single drug at all.
I misread your post as meaning there was not more than approximately 250 million spent. Sorry, my mistake.
Covid was different because of the urgency. A nation which gets vaccine first could easily recoup much more than $5B when the rest of the world is closed.