Difficulties in obtaining Pfizer’s drug in China from COVID
2023.01.16 01:59
Difficulties in obtaining Pfizer’s drug in China from COVID
Budrigannews.com – The Beijing resident became concerned about finding a treatment for COVID-19 in the event that Li’s diabetic father, who is 83 years old, started coughing and complaining of body aches last month. Li was concerned that his father might have caught the virus that is sweeping the city.
At the time, he was informed that Pfizer (NYSE:) Paxlovid, an antiviral medication, was an effective treatment; however, patients could only receive a prescription for it if they were admitted to a hospital and the medication was available.
According to Li, who did not use his first name because he was concerned about how the authorities might interpret his account, the first hospital they went to did a CT scan, which revealed that his lungs were infected. However, they were turned away because there were no beds available.
A contact finally found them a room at another hospital after two more days of frantic calls to families and friends. However, it took another antigen test and a second CT scan before the hospital agreed to prescribe the drug.
Li was concerned that his father’s treatment had taken too long after he had been admitted to the intensive care unit.
I don’t know if Paxlovid can assist him. “I think it’s because he already had the virus for a week when he got the medicine,” Li told Reuters on January 12.
“All we can do now is pray,”
On the same day, he lost his father.
The difficulties in obtaining Paxlovid in China through official channels are demonstrated by Li’s experience, reports in the local media, and online posts.
One of the few foreign oral treatments that Beijing has approved is Paxlovid, a combination of two antiviral medications. A clinical trial found that it reduced hospitalizations by approximately 90% in high-risk patients.
Paxlovid was approved in February of last year, but it was rarely used in China until December, when the government began to ease its strict containment policy and a wave of COVID infections started to rise.
Even though Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated last week that thousands of courses of the treatment were shipped to the country last year and that millions more were shipped in the past few weeks, Chinese authorities have acknowledged that supplies of Paxlovid are still insufficient to meet demand.
“Pfizer is actively working with Chinese authorities and all stakeholders to ensure that China has a sufficient supply of Paxlovid. In a statement, the company stated, “We remain committed to meeting the COVID-19 treatment needs of Chinese patients and partnering with the Chinese government.”
China has approved Merck & Co.’s COVID antiviral medication and is evaluating a Shionogi-developed treatment in an effort to combat the rising death toll.
Paxlovid is covered by state insurance, but only for a short time until the end of March. As a result, patients would only have to pay 198 yuan ($29), which is a tenth of what it normally costs.
The majority of patients, on the other hand, are forced to rely on media reports, word-of-mouth, or even importing through unregulated channels in the gray market because China does not provide data on how many treatment courses are available and where they can be purchased.
Due to the massive uptick in COVID-19 infections, those who are able to locate a supplier frequently find themselves paying exorbitant prices.
According to the official Guangzhou Daily, before receiving the 2,300 yuan Paxlovid at the United Family Healthcare hospital in Guangdong, patients had to pay 6,000 yuan ($891) for health checks.
In December, the health data company Airfinity predicted that China would require 49 million courses of the COVID treatment over the next five months, including over 22 million in January alone.
Online platforms also offer the Pfizer medication for 2,170 yuan with a prescription, but it typically sells out in a matter of seconds.
Reuters heard from a few more people about how they bought Paxlovid on the black market. Some wanted it just in case, while others were looking to treat sick relatives.
Chen Jun, who lives in the southern province of Hainan in China, said that he bought Paxlovid from a supplier that was recommended to him by a business partner. The supplier said that the medicine came from Hong Kong.
On January 2, Chen paid 20,000 yuan, or $2,972, for two boxes for his cancer-stricken parents, and he claimed that others had paid more.
He stated, “You’ll think it’s cheap once your family members are in need, since anything is better than going to a hospital now.” One box of the medicine cost 20,000 yuan, according to people I know.
Another buyer who went by the name Ray said he was able to get two boxes from the United States, where supplies are still plentiful and an online consultation can get you a prescription from a doctor.
He stated, “It’s very straightforward; they don’t ask any questions.” He then asked a friend there to help ship the item to China after making the purchase online.
An anonymous analyst at a Chinese securities firm claimed that his boss went to Hong Kong to stock up on Paxlovid to give to clients because it was more valuable than a popular, expensive liquor.
