Pfizer’s Paxlovid not included in China’s national insurance

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China will not include Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment drug in a national reimbursement list that would have allowed patients to get it at a cheaper price, saying it was too expensive. The oral medicine Paxlovid developed by New York-based drugmaker Pfizer has been widely sought after in China since the country began phasing out its “zero-COVID” restrictions and infections started surging. China will include two other domestic COVID-19 drugs in the reimbursement list. Policymakers can leverage bulk purchases to lower prices in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies that, in turn, can net a steady source of revenue. A drug must be included on the reimbursement list to be covered by the national insurance scheme.