Estimates of the global economic costs of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vary from $77 billion to as high as $2.7 trillion. As of this writing, there have been over 4.3 million infections and 300 000 deaths globally. There is currently no cure for patients with COVID-19, but there are more than 300 different trials launched to discover a drug that would minimize both morbidity and mortality. Although the availability of a proven treatment for COVID-19 would be met with extreme enthusiasm, the successful testing of any drug will only be the first step in determining how to provide access on a global level. Any treatment must be widely available and affordable to address this global pandemic.
