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‘Pure and Deadly Greed’: Lawmakers Slam Pfizer’s 400% Price Hike on COVID Shots
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senator-elect Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sent a scathing letter to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla this week over the company’s plan to increase the price of its COVID-19 vaccines by 400% next year when it enters the commercial market.
“We urge you to back off from your proposed price increases and ensure COVID-19 vaccines are reasonably priced and accessible to people across the United States,” they wrote, while also requesting information about the company’s revenue and profits.
In October, Pfizer revealed plans to sell its COVID-19 vaccine for somewhere between $110 and $130 next year. Most recently, the U.S. government paid only about $30 per dose. The planned price hike is higher than the $50 price point that some financial analysts had expected Pfizer would set upon entry into the commercial market. It’s a whopping 10,000% markup from the vaccine’s estimated cost of manufacturing.
Warren and Welch called Pfizer’s price hike “pure and deadly greed” and accused the company of “unseemly profiteering.” They noted that before Pfizer reaped billions in profits during the pandemic, it benefited from federal support, including building its vaccine from foundational research conducted at the National Institutes of Health, plus receiving a $1.95 billion advance-purchase agreement via the government’s Operation Warp Speed.
Two Years After COVID Vaccines Rolled Out, Researchers Are Calling for Newer, Better Options
Two years after the first COVID shots went into arms, a growing chorus of researchers is calling for a new generation of vaccines that provide broader and more long-term protection against the disease.
The U.S. is currently recording around 430 COVID deaths per day, on average, according to NBC News’ tally. That includes many people who received at least two COVID shots: Six in 10 adults who died of COVID in August were vaccinated or boosted, according to a report by KFF, a nonprofit health think tank. And for the most part, vaccinated people don’t avoid infections or reinfections anymore.
In particular, researchers think sprays or drops given through the nose or mouth could do a better job of stopping transmission. They also hope that vaccines that target multiple parts of the virus or several variants at once could reduce the need for continuous boosters.
Globally, 117 intranasal COVID vaccines are in development or have been rolled out, according to an analysis provided to NBC News by Airfinity, a health analytics company. Five have been approved in at least one country — two in China and one each in India, Iran and Russia — and 20 more have entered clinical trials. The majority rely on traditional vaccine platforms, not mRNA.
U.S. to Pay Pfizer Nearly $2 Billion for More Paxlovid Courses in 2023
The U.S. government agreed to pay Pfizer Inc. (PFE.N) nearly $2 billion for an additional 3.7 million courses of its COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid, the company said on Tuesday.
The new purchase supplements the 20 million courses previously bought by the United States and delivery is planned by early 2023, Pfizer said in a statement.
The Biden administration previously agreed to pay around $10.6 billion — roughly $530 per treatment course — for the first 20 million courses ordered. The government is paying around the same amount per course under the new contract.
Roche Teams up With Pfizer on COVID Awareness Campaign
Roche Holding (ROG.S) has teamed up with Pfizer (PFE.N) on a U.S. campaign to boost awareness of COVID-19 testing and treatment, the Swiss drugmaker said on Wednesday.
The Pilot COVID-19 At-Home Test, distributed in the United States by Roche and made by SD Biosensor Inc (137310.KS), will now include a QR code that directs people to a website where they can learn more about COVID-19, including health authorities’ guidance on testing and treatment options, it said in a statement.
Biden Admin Extends Pandemic-Era Flexibilities on Opioid Use Treatments
The Biden administration is moving to make permanent the pandemic rules that allowed take-home drugs to help fight opioid addiction.
Why it matters: The proposed rule from HHS would make it easier for patients with opioid use disorder to access drugs like methadone for home use and for providers to prescribe them via telehealth for patients with opioid use disorder.
Before the COVID-era changes, federal regulations often required those seeking treatment to go in person daily to receive medication, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.
China Says Spread of COVID ‘Impossible’ to Track as Infections Soar in Beijing
The spread of COVID-19 in China is now “impossible” to track, the country’s health authorities have said, announcing they have stopped recording asymptomatic cases in their daily tallies.
The admission comes amid soaring presentations to hospitals and clinics as COVID-19 spreads rapidly through the population in the wake of the sudden removal of strict pandemic measures. Authorities have urged people not to seek emergency healthcare unless necessary and announced the rollout of second boosters to elderly and vulnerable people.
China to Roll Out Second COVID Vaccine Booster for High-Risk Groups, Elderly
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) will roll out the second COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for high-risk groups and elderly people over 60 years old, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The time gap between the first and second booster shots will be six months, NHC said, adding people who can take the second booster shot will include those with severe existing diseases and those with low immunity.
Right before drastically easing its stringent COVID-19 prevention measures earlier this month, China has pushed to speed up vaccinations for those aged above 60 years.
