BEIJING, Jan 8 (Reuters) – China won’t embrace Pfizer
Inc’s Paxlovid in an replace to its listing of medicines
coated by primary medical insurance coverage schemes because the U.S. agency
quoted a excessive worth for the COVID-19 drug, China’s Healthcare
Safety Administration (NHSA) mentioned on Sunday.

The COVID-19 antiviral drug is presently coated by the
nation’s broad healthcare insurance coverage scheme beneath short-term
measures the regulator launched in March final yr as
outbreaks rose.

However authorities held talks with Pfizer in current days to
determine whether or not to incorporate it within the newest model of their
listing, which they replace yearly.

Inclusion on the listing means a drug is accessible by way of state
insurance coverage schemes, which can enhance volumes however comes with the
situation that producers decrease costs. Previous rounds have seen
drugmakers lower costs by as a lot as 62% after negotiations with
officers.

“We’ll proceed to collaborate with the Chinese language authorities
and all related stakeholders to safe an sufficient provide of
Paxlovid in China. We stay dedicated to fulfilling the
COVID-19 remedy wants of Chinese language sufferers,” Pfizer mentioned in a
assertion, with out elaborating.

The NHSA mentioned Paxlovid would proceed to be eligible to be
paid for by state medical insurance coverage till the present deliberate
end-date to the short-term measures of March 31.

Whereas the talks on Paxlovid failed, they succeeded with two
different COVID-19 remedy medication — natural remedy Qingfei
Paidu granules and Chinese language drugmaker Real Biotech’s Azvudine
— which shall be included within the listing’s replace, the regulator
mentioned.

Three years into the pandemic, China started pivoting away
from its signature “zero COVID” coverage final month after historic
protests in opposition to the economically-damaging curbs that had been
championed by President Xi Jinping.

The sudden loosening of restrictions has fueled a large wave
of infections and prompted many to show to underground channels
to obtain treatments resembling Paxlovid, which a medical trial has
discovered to have lowered hospitalisations in high-risk sufferers by
round 90%.

Bins of Paxlovid are altering fingers for as a lot as
50,000 yuan ($7,313.15), greater than 20 instances the unique worth
of two,300 yuan, in keeping with native media studies and social media
posts.

Beijing has been largely immune to Western vaccines,
however has greenlighted international oral therapies Paxlovid and
Merck’s Molnupiravir. It permitted Paxlovid in February.

Reuters reported on Saturday, citing sources, that China is
in talks with Pfizer to safe a licence that may enable
home drugmakers to fabricate and distribute a generic
model of Paxlovid.

Final month, China Meheco Group Co Ltd mentioned on
Wednesday it signed an settlement with Pfizer to import and
distribute Paxlovid in mainland China.

Pfizer additionally signed a deal in August for Chinese language drugmaker
Zhejiang Huahai to supply Paxlovid in mainland
China solely for sufferers there.
($1 = 6.8370 Chinese language yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Brenda Goh, Yingzhi Yang and Roxanne Liu; Enhancing
by Raissa Kasolowsky, Elaine Hardcastle and Daniel Wallis)