The antiviral drug Paxlovid. (AP)

Paxlovid

China Update

Pfizer cut the price of Paxlovid, but China wouldn't accept it, says industry insider

The allegations come amid concern that officials want to push sales of a homegrown antiviral instead.

NewsGram Desk

Published:15th Jan, 2023 at 5:00 AM

Updated:15th Jan, 2023 at 5:00 AM

Chinese negotiators tried to get Pfizer to lower the price of its antiviral Paxlovid -- a front-line treatment in the ongoing wave of COVID-19 infections sweeping the country -- to just 200 yuan per box, an industry insider told Radio Free Asia.

Negotiations between China's National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) and Pfizer "failed because of the drug's high price," China’s state-backed media newspaper reported last week.

The nationalistic tabloid Global Times accused U.S. "capital forces" of profiteering from the current wave of COVID-19, amid an ongoing shortage of antivirals and widespread reports of pneumonia since the lifting of restrictions last month.

Also read:Thermonuclear Bad! China may be witnessing 10 million Covid reinfections on top of 900 million infections

The financial magazine Caixin quoted unnamed sources as saying that Pfizer hadn't lowered its price significantly beyond the 1,890 yuan (U.S. $280) it currently charges Chinese hospitals, while the Global Times said the drug hadn't been included in China's national medical insurance program due to the high price.

That claim was judged to be "misleading" following an investigation by the Asia Fact Check Lab, which is affiliated with Radio Free Asia.

Healthcare industry insider Zhang Ning said Chinese negotiators had already gotten Pfizer to reduce the price of a box of Paxlovid from the original price of 1,890 yuan to just 604 yuan.

"[But] the price they wanted to get it onto the medical insurance [approved list] was 200 yuan/box," Zhang said. "[Homegrown antiviral] Azvudine was entered into the medical insurance catalog at 270 yuan/box."

She said Azvudine, a broad-spectrum antiviral agent developed in China to treat HIV/AIDS and approved for use in the national medical insurance system last August, cost far less to produce than small molecule treatments like Paxlovid.

While Radio Free Asia was unable to verify Zhang's claims independently, they are similar to recent comments from Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who recently said that negotiations broke down because the Chinese side wanted to sell Paxlovid at a price lower than Pfizer's price for low- and middle-income countries.

Also read:Russia-Ukraine War: Russia Claims Control of Soledar

Lower than El Salvador

Bourla said on Jan. 10 that talks with China on future pricing for the treatment had broken off after China had asked for a lower price than Pfizer is charging for most lower middle income countries.

"They are the second highest economy in the world and I don't think that they should pay less than El Salvador," Bourla said in comments reported by Reuters at the time.

Zhang said it was unclear why the medical insurance bureau had insisted on such a low price for Paxlovid, given that Azvudine is still in clinical trials.

"The cost of the technology to produce small molecule drugs [like Paxlovid] is very high ... and the phase three clinical trials for Azvudine haven't even been completed yet," she said. "They have just recruited 1,000 COVID-19 patients for the trial."

Li Sha, chief pharmacist at the No. 2 Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, said Azvudine was mainly indicated for use in patients over 60 with underlying health conditions.

"[This is] because there have been a lot of adverse reactions, including damage to the nervous system and to liver and kidney function," Li said.

"It's not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, as well as patients with severe liver and kidney damage."

Zhang said the dispute comes amid a nationwide shortage of Paxlovid, which has been known to change hands on the black market for tens of thousands of yuan a box.

"There isn't any [Paxlovid] available at all, and there has been no sign even on the black market of any new supply during the past couple of days," she said. "So many people are waiting to buy them."

"Everyone is currently buying oxygen machines on the black market, snapping them up along with human serum albumin," Zhang said.

Also read:United States to base Marine unit on Japan’s Okinawa island

Black market

A Shanghai resident who gave only the surname Huang said human serum albumin is currently selling for several hundred yuan/dose in hospitals, and anything from 1,500-5,000 yuan on the black market.

According to Zhang, the albumin can only be sourced from human plasma, and the current shortage reflects an overall shortage of blood donors.

A recent investigation by the Asia Fact Check Lab suggested that the price of Paxlovid had little to do with the decision not to include it in the medical insurance list of approved drugs.

Paxlovid, also known as Naimatevir Tablets/Ritonavir Tablets, is a small-molecule antiviral oral drug that comes "strongly recommended" by the World Health Organization for the early and mid-term treatment of people at risk of severe illness after infection with COVID-19.

The U.S. government has already agreed to buy 10 million courses of the drug at a cost of around U.S.$530, or 3,700 yuan, compared with the 1,890 yuan/box price initially agreed for the Chinese market.

Germany has agreed to procure one million boxes at a cost of 500 Euro, or 3,640 yuan a box, the investigation found.

It found that Beijing had allocated sufficient funds to pay for Paxlovid, with the national health insurance fund currently enjoying a surplus of more than five trillion yuan, with revenues rising by 7.7% from January to November 2022, compared with the same period the year before.

It cited an economist as saying that Paxlovid wouldn't make enough money for the Chinese healthcare sector.

"It's never been about spending taxpayers’ money, and nor a question of whether [Paxlovid] is worth the money," the economist said. "The real question is who makes money." (KB/RFA)

<h1>Courses/Internships at NewsGram</h1>

<p> At <strong>NewsGram</strong> , we believe in the power of truthful Journalism and our Newsroom is always striving for a meaningful, engaging and fact based reporting.</p>

<p>You can become the part of NewsGram's dynamic newsroom with Certification Programs and Internships. Here are the details:</p>

<hr>

<h2>NewsGram Journalism Certification Program</h2>

<p><strong>Duration:</strong> 8 Weeks (Remote/Part-time)</p>

<p><strong>For:</strong> Journalism, Media, Communications, and Social Sciences Students and Professionals, with a strong interest in current affairs, politics, and culture.</p>

<h3>Program Highlights:</h3>

<ul>

<li>Fundamentals of Ethical Journalism</li>

<li>News Writing and Reporting</li>

<li>Rewriting Current News Stories (Rehashing)</li>

<li>Social Media Management for News</li>

<li>SEO and Content Management System (CMS) Training</li>

<li>Interviewing Experts and Sources</li>

<li>Fact-Checking and Ethical Reporting Practices</li>

</ul>

<ul>

<li>Write News articles and rehash existing stories</li>

<li>Edit and publish news content on NewsGram’s platform</li>

<li>Manage social media posts to promote NewsGram’s content</li>

<li>Conduct interviews with experts or key figures</li>

<li>Learn to use CMS for publishing articles</li>

<li>Participate in editorial projects like <em>Long Read</em>, <em>Live Stories</em>, and <em>MediaSight</em></li>

</ul>

<h3>Benefits:</h3>

<ul>

<li>Author profile with lifetime access on NewsGram</li>

<li>Certificate of Completion</li>

<li>1:1 Mentorship with experienced Journalists</li>

<li>Weekend live sessions for training and feedback</li>

<li>Access to article performance analytics and SEO reports</li>

<li>Opportunity to transition into freelance or full-time roles with NewsGram</li>

</ul>

<style>

.tab-container {

margin-top: 20px;

}

.tab-button {

background-color: #af0000;

color: #fff;

border: none;

cursor: pointer;

padding: 12px 18px;

margin: 2px;

font-weight: 600;

font-size: 15px;

border-radius: 4px;

transition: background-color 0.3s ease;

}

.tab-button:hover,

.tab-button.active {

background-color: #000000;

}

u8i

.tab-content {

display: none;

padding: 15px;

border: 1px solid #000000;

border-top: none;

background-color: #af0000;

font-size: 15px;

line-height: 1.6;

}

.tab-content h4 {

margin-top: 0;

color: #222;

}

.tab-content ul {

padding-left: 20px;

}

</style>

<h3>Curriculum Details:</h3>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module1')">Module 1: Foundations</button>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module2')">Module 2: Writing</button>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module3')">Module 3: CMS</button>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module4')">Module 4: SEO</button>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module5')">Module 5: Digital Media</button>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module6')">Module 6: Analytics</button>

<button class="tab-button" onclick="showTab('module7')">Module 7: AI Tools</button>

<h4>Module 1: Foundations of Journalism</h4>

<ul>

<li>What is Journalism?</li>

<li>Types of Articles: News Reports, Syndicated Stories, Interviews, Investigative Stories, Coverings Beats and Opinions Pieces</li>

<li>Rewriting techniques and ethical considerations</li>

<li>Interviewing clinicians and experts</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h4>Module 2: News Writing techniques and Content Structure </h4>

<ul>

<li>Writing tone, structure & language for general audiences</li>

<li>Paraphrasing, quoting, and avoiding plagiarism</li>

<li>Using images and referencing styles (Chicago, AP, etc.)</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h4>Module 3: CMS and Publishing Process</h4>

<ul>

<li>Introduction to platforms like Quintype</li>

<li>Formatting, metadata, tagging, article scheduling</li>

<li>Handling media and embedded content</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h4>Module 4: SEO Essentials for Medical Content</h4>

<ul>

<li>What is SEO? Importance in Digital News Content</li>

<li>On-page SEO: Titles, meta descriptions, slugs</li>

<li>Readability, mobile optimization, keyword strategy</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h4>Module 5: Digital Media and Monetization Models</h4>

<ul>

<li>Digital-first vs traditional journalism</li>

<li>CMS platforms and editorial workflows</li>

<li>Introduction to paywalls and subscription models</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h4>Module 6: Analytics, Google Tools & Authority Metrics</h4>

<ul>

<li>Google Analytics (GA4) & traffic data</li>

<li>Search Console for Indexing and Performance</li>

<li>Understanding DA, Page authority, and Site Trust</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h4>Module 7: AI in Medical Journalism</h4>

<ul>

<li>Using AI tools for writing, grammar, and summarizing</li>

<li>Transcription & reader personalization with AI</li>

<li>Ethical use of AI the Newsroom</li>

</ul>

</div>

function showTab(id) {

const tabs = document.querySelectorAll(".tab-content");

const buttons = document.querySelectorAll(".tab-button");

tabs.forEach(tab => tab.style.display = "none");

buttons.forEach(btn => btn.classList.remove("active"));

document.getElementById(id).style.display = "block";

event.target.classList.add("active");

}

document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {

document.querySelector(".tab-button").click();

});

</script>

<hr>

<h3>📬 How to Apply:</h3>

<p>Please send your resume to: <strong><a href="mailto:internship@newsgram.com">internship@newsgram.com</a></strong></p>

<h3>👨‍🏫 Faculty & Mentorship Team</h3>

<style>

.faculty-scroll {

display: flex;

overflow-x: auto;

gap: 30px;

padding: 20px 0;

scrollbar-width: thin;

}

.faculty-card {

flex: 0 0 auto;

width: 280px;

background-color: #af0000;

border-radius: 20px;

box-shadow: 0 4px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);

text-align: center;

padding: 20px;

transition: transform 0.3s;

}

.faculty-card:hover {

transform: translateY(-5px);

}

.faculty-card img {

width: 200px;

height: 200px;

object-fit: cover;

border-radius: 50%;

margin-bottom: 15px;

border: 4px solid #000000;

}

.faculty-card a {

font-weight: bold;

text-decoration: none;

color: #fff;

font-size: 18px;

}

.faculty-card span {

font-size: 15px;

color: #fff;

display: block;

margin-top: 6px;

}

</style>

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/munishraizada/" target="_blank">Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, MD, FAAP</a>

<span style="display:block;">Editor-in-Chief, NewsGram INC</span>

</div>

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/himani-negi-7a9537215/" target="_blank">Himani Negi, B Pharmacy</a>

<span style="display:block;">Contributing Editor, NewsGram</span>

</div>

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhamahes98/" target="_blank">M Subha Maheswari, MSc Biotechnology</a>

<span style="display:block;">Contributing Editor, NewsGram</span>

</div>

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-theresa-lily-thomas-4613ab290/" target="_blank">Dr. Theresa Lily Thomas, BDS</a>

<span style="display:block;">Content Lead, NewsGram Desk</span>

</div>

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/-ritik-singh/" target="_blank">Ritik Singh, Bachelors in Journalism </a>

<span style="display:block;">Desk Editor</span>

</div>

Pfizer cut the price of Paxlovid, but China wouldn't accept it, says industry insider

The allegations come amid concern that officials want to push sales of a homegrown antiviral instead.

Lower than El Salvador

Black market

Also Read

Lust and Desire: The Fading Line Between What We Need and What We Want

Ukrainian Authorities Hunt Killer Of Former Parliament Speaker Parubiy

Putin In China And Four Other Things To Watch At This Year's SCO Summit

Russia Hits Ukrainian Power Grid As Allies Of Slain Politician Parubiy Blame Moscow

Branded a Witch After Husband’s Death, Rekha Says It Was the Time She ‘Really Grew Up’