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The value of the life-saving antiviral drug Paxlovid will more than double as the United States emerges from the emergency phase of the pandemic, pharmaceutical maker Pfizer said on Wednesday.
The list value, before insurance, will be $1,390 for a five-day treatment, Pfizer said in a statement. That’s 2. 6 times more than the $530 worth of the course paid for by the U. S. government. Paxlovid was provided at no cost to patients during the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal was the first to publish the new value.
Pfizer noted that the value of the list “does not necessarily reflect the value a patient will pay” and said it is working to make certain health insurance arrangements that result in low out-of-pocket costs for patients. The company also said it would offer copay assistance for those who qualify, which can simply eliminate your out-of-pocket expenses.
People with Medicare or Medicaid or who don’t have insurance will receive Paxlovid for free through a patient assistance program, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services said last week. U. S. Pfizer said the program will be extended through 2028 for uninsured or “underinsured” patients. .
The update in the value of the list comes as the U. S. shifts from a formula in which the government bought the drugs and offered them for free to everyone, to a more classic advertising market. Paxlovid will remain free for patients through this formula until the end of the year.
The price of Covid-19 vaccines also increased as they transitioned into an advertising market, emerging roughly fourfold to between $115 and $130 per dose. One financial analyst had estimated a potential increase, three to five times, for Paxlovid. which would have raised its list value to $2,500.
Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, called the potential buildup a “price gouge” when CNN reported on Pfizer’s plans to raise prices this week.
“It’s hard to call it ‘good news,'” as the backlog was only 2. 6 times, Topol wrote in an email to CNN on Wednesday. He and other doctors had warned that a build-up in Paxlovid’s value would create barriers to obtaining the drug.
Pfizer said Paxlovid “has been a breakthrough in the fight against Covid-19, to treat millions of high-risk patients in the U. S. and millions more around the world. “
The new award, the company said, “is based on the value it brings to patients, providers, and healthcare systems due to its role in reducing hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19. “
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