Paxlovid Has Been Free So Far. Next Year, Sticker Shock Awaits.
https://khn.org/news/article/paxlovid-covid-sticker-shock-insurance/
Nearly 6 million Americans have taken Paxlovid for free, courtesy of the federal government. The Pfizer pill has helped prevent many people infected with covid-19 from being hospitalized or dying, and it may even reduce the risk of developing long covid. But the government plans to stop footing the bill within months, and millions of people who are at the highest risk of severe illness and are least able to afford the drug — the uninsured and seniors — may have to pay the full price.
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The U.S. government has so far purchased 20 million courses of Paxlovid, priced at about $530 each, a discount for buying in bulk that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called “really very attractive” to the federal government in a July earnings call. The drug will cost far more on the private market, although in a statement to KHN, Pfizer declined to share the planned price. The government will also stop paying for the company’s covid vaccine next year — those shots will quadruple in price, from the discount rate the government pays of $30 to about $120.
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Most Purchased Covid Therapeutics Sit Unused
The U.S. bought nearly 25 million courses of Paxlovid, Lagevrio, and Evusheld. Most haven't been used yet, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that free supply will run out within months.
