On October 8th, 65438/KLOC-0, the negotiation of the national medical insurance drug list in 2022 officially ended. On the same evening, the National medical insurance bureau released the information about the participating countries of therapeutic drugs in COVID-19. The negotiation between Azif tablets and Qingfei Jiedu granules was successful, but the negotiation of paciclovir failed because the manufacturer Pfizer Investment Co., Ltd. quoted too much.
According to reports, although Paxlovid was not included in the medical insurance catalogue through negotiation, according to the Notice of the National Medical Insurance Bureau and relevant departments on Optimizing the Medical Insurance Policies for Patients with Infectious Diseases in novel coronavirus after the Implementation of Class B Tube, all the therapeutic drugs in novel coronavirus's infection diagnosis and treatment plan, including Paxlovid, Azithromycin Tablets, Danlawei Capsules, Dispelling Cold and Removing Dampness Granules, etc., will be temporarily paid by medical insurance until 2023.
The latest news shows that Pfizer is promoting the localized production of paciclovir in China. On June 65438+ 10/0, Professor Hu Shanlian from School of Public Health of Fudan University said in an interview with Red Star News reporter that if paciclovir is produced in China in the future, whether the price will be reduced depends on who has the pricing power of the domestically produced paciclovir.
There are different opinions about the price quoted by Pfizer COVID-19 for oral drugs.
The rule of medical insurance negotiation is that after two rounds of quotation, pharmaceutical companies will be out if they exceed the medical insurance reserve price of 1 15%. If it falls within the scope, continue to negotiate, and if it falls within the reserve price, it will be successful.
It is reported that the formation of medical insurance reserve price mainly refers to the pharmacoeconomic evaluation of drugs and the budget impact analysis of medical insurance fund. Among them, the former mainly determines the price according to the degree of clinical benefit, and at the same time refers to factors such as the lowest international price and the degree of market competition. The latter compares the influence of the negotiated drugs on the fund after they are included in the medical insurance according to the current price and the expected negotiated price, and comprehensively calculates their final prices. Both of them measure their own prices, and usually take the lowest one as the "reserve price" for negotiations.
According to Caixin, authoritative sources said that the price of Pfizer 1890 yuan has basically not dropped, not the 600 yuan reported on the Internet. 2 1 Century Business Herald also interviewed people close to the National Medical Insurance Bureau.
Earlier, a brokerage analyst revealed to the Red Star journalist that the news he had learned before was that the price Pfizer hoped was 800- 1000 yuan. As for the result of the failure of the negotiation, he believes that this is also in line with the style of multinational pharmaceutical companies participating in medical insurance negotiations, and they need to maintain their own global pricing system.
From the global price point of view, Paxlovid is purchased by the government in the United States, and the price of a box is 530 dollars, while the price of a box in early European countries is 600 to 700 dollars.
Because of the relatively high price, it is still difficult to take paciclovir successfully after China was infected with COVID-19.
"In the past, many people didn't know about paroxetine, but in recent months, with the adjustment of epidemic policy in COVID-19, more and more patients came to consult paroxetine, and some even directly asked if they could prescribe paroxetine. For hospitals, there is paxillovir now, but our doctors will make certain restrictions when prescribing drugs. " The respiratory doctor of a 3A hospital in Xi 'an told Red Star News reporter on June 65438+ 10/0 that, firstly, the quantity of this medicine in the hospital pharmacy itself is not much, and secondly, the price of this medicine is relatively expensive, which many patients can't accept. In addition, Pacciclovir and many drugs will have adverse reactions when used, so Pacciclovir will only be prescribed to patients with serious underlying diseases and mild COVID-19's symptoms.
6543816/0, the National Medical Insurance Bureau issued "Guiding Opinions on the Price Formation of Therapeutic Drugs in COVID-19", indicating that the contradiction between supply and demand and the price problem of the two drugs, afuddin tablets and paciclovir, which were approved for marketing earlier, are more prominent. The National Medical Insurance Bureau has interviewed the relevant production and operation enterprises of the two drugs, and the enterprises actively responded to social concerns and took the initiative to reduce prices.
Paxlovid's initial online medical insurance price was 2,300 yuan per box, and some media reported that it was recently reduced to 1.890 yuan.
Paxlovid will be localized in China in the next 3-4 months.
According to the Financial Times, after the China government allows Pfizer to produce and supply paciclovir locally, Pfizer may produce the COVID-19 oral drug locally in China within three to four months through a China partner. Abel Le, CEO of Pfizer, said that the surge in demand for paciclovir in China led to tight supply, and a China pharmaceutical company undertaking outsourcing contract was preparing to invest in the production of the drug.
In August 2022, Huahai Pharmaceutical and Pfizer signed the Master Agreement on Production and Supply. During the agreement period, Huahai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. will provide commissioned production services for COVID-19 therapeutic drug paciclovir sold by Pfizer in Chinese mainland. Pfizer provides the raw materials of Naimatvir and Ritonavir preparations, and Huahai Pharmaceutical is responsible for the production and joint packaging of NaiMathevet preparations. On June+10 of that year, Gree Pharmaceutical announced that it had signed an authorization and supply agreement with Pfizer for ritonavir to be used for paciclovir in Chinese mainland market.
654381October 9, Huahai Pharmaceutical responded to Red Star News. The company has signed relevant cooperation with Pfizer and actively cooperated with Pfizer to promote localization projects. On June 65438+1October 10, Pfizer replied that both parties are actively promoting localized production in Huahai.
The Red Star journalist noticed that on June 5438+ 10/0, Huahai Pharmaceutical said in response to an investor's question on the SSE E interactive platform, "The company is actively cooperating with Pfizer to accelerate the localization project of paciclovir to ensure the sufficient supply of paciclovir in the China market."
Huahai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is also one of the companies approved to imitate the raw materials or preparations of nematevir, one of the ingredients of Pfizer COVID-19 oral drug Paxillovir.
Red Star News reporter noted that as of the close of 1, Huahai Pharmaceutical's share price rose by 7.73%.
If Paxlovid is produced locally, can it be reduced?
Expert: It depends on who has the pricing power. Paciclovir is not a "magic medicine"
Experts also expressed their views on the failure of the National Medical Insurance Bureau and Pfizer Pacciclovir to enter the medical insurance drug list this round, and whether Pfizer Pacciclovir can reduce the price after its production in China.
Hu Shanlian, a professor at Fudan University School of Public Health, said in an interview with People's Daily that in addition to the cost and clinical value of enterprises, "innovation" and "economy" should be fully considered. Among them, economy is one of the important pricing principles. When the drug price is obviously higher than the economic evaluation result, it needs to be priced according to the economic evaluation result. Clinical data confirmed that COVID-19 drugs currently on the market have certain efficacy in preventing serious risks. However, the relevant clinical and economic evidence about the benefit degree of patients with mild and common diseases is not sufficient. Therefore, it is unreasonable that COVID-19's drugs are overpriced. "
On June 65438+1October 10, Hu Shanlian said in an interview with Red Star News reporter that due to the recent adjustment of China's epidemic prevention and control policy in COVID-19, it is true that there is a situation that "one drug is hard to find" in some areas. "But this does not mean that if you really enter the medical insurance drug list, paciclovir will be more convenient to buy." Hu Shanlian said that if paciclovir enters the medical insurance catalogue at a price of nearly 2,000 yuan, it does not mean that it will be imported at will or doctors will prescribe drugs at will. In the end, we should consider the practical role of Paxlovid and the affordability of the medical insurance fund pool.
Regarding whether the price of paciclovir will drop if it is produced in China in the future, Hu Shanlian said that it depends on who owns the pricing power of paciclovir produced in China. If it is completely in Pfizer's hands, it will not have much impact. However, if domestic pharmaceutical companies have certain pricing power, they may be able to lower their prices.
Hu Shanlian said that paroxetine has a certain therapeutic effect on outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection, including reducing death and hospitalization, but it is not a so-called magic medicine. "Paciclovir is only one of the choices in the latest treatment scheme in China, and it is not the only treatment drug. In addition, China is now committed to the research and development of oral drugs in COVID-19, so it does not mean that paciclovir must be included in the medical insurance drug list at a high price. "
Red Star Journalist Hu Intern Reporter Fu _ Intern Miao Rui
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