Pfizer’s Paxlovid Covid Pill Granted Full FDA Approval
ForbesNov 25, 2022
Pfizer More Than Doubles Price of Paxlovid
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The Facts
Pfizer will more than double the cost of COVID antiviral medication Paxlovid, as the US transitions out of what it classifies as the emergency phase of the pandemic.
Before insurance, the cost will be $1,390 for a five-day course of Paxlovid. This is 2.6 times higher than the $530-per-course price paid by the US government as it provided the drug to patients for free up to this point.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Paxlovid is a valuable medication, and Pfizer deserves to be compensated fairly. The updated list price reflects the drug's important role in helping to reduce COVID hospitalizations and deaths. COVID is still around but thankfully much has changed over the past few years — a transition to a regular healthcare marketplace for this drug is in the best interest of the consumer.
Establishment-critical narrative
Doubling the cost of Paxlovid is blatantly Big Pharma price gouging. The drug was a breakthrough in the fight against COVID and likely saved many lives, and raising the cost will put a hurdle in the way of many people who will need access to it. Given issues with insured and underinsured populations, this is bad news for many with COVID still circulating in the American population.
