The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with Pfizer to ensure continued access for the next several years as it prepares to move the antiviral drug paxlobid to the commercial market.
HHS said the agreement “maximizes taxpayer investment.”
“This agreement builds on the strong partnership between HHS and Pfizer over the past three years that has enabled the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at a record pace,” the department said in a statement. Stated.
Paxrobid has been distributed free of charge by the government since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2021 as a treatment for the coronavirus. HHS said the transition to commercialization will begin in November.
The federal government has purchased tens of millions of doses of the drug from Pfizer at a discount, and Pfizer has agreed to provide an additional 1 million treatment courses for the National Strategic Stockpile.
Pfizer also plans to update HHS’ inventory of paxlobid with the latest product through 2028 to ensure its supply has not expired and that the agency has access to the latest formulation.
As part of the transition, HHS said it will “prioritize and reserve” acquired doses for the uninsured and those on Medicare and Medicaid.
Paxlovid can be ordered through HHS until December 15th.
Unlike vaccines, paxlobid works by targeting a protein that the COVID-19 virus needs to continue replicating. This protein has fewer mutations than the spike protein targeted by the vaccine, allowing paxlobid to remain effective even as new strains emerge.
As part of the agreement, people on Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the uninsured, will receive the HHS-acquired paxrovid through the end of 2024.
From 2025 to 2028, Pfizer will continue to operate a Patient Assistance Program for the uninsured, and the company will also maintain a copay assistance program for those with commercial insurance plans.
The U.S. government paid about $530 per course of Paxlobid, but it will almost certainly exceed this discounted price once commercialization begins. Pfizer did not disclose the expected list price in Friday’s press release about the deal, saying the price would be negotiated with health care payers.
The company said courses labeled under the emergency use authorization will remain free to patients until the end of the year, during which time it will also begin distributing courses designated for the commercial market.
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