Chinanews.com client Beijing, July 1 (Reporter Zhang Ni) A few days ago, Gilead Sciences of the United States announced the pricing of the anti-new crown drug ridxivir-$390 per bottle. According to the company, according to the current treatment model, it is expected that the vast majority of patients will receive a 5-day course of treatment, using 6 bottles of redcive.
What is the pricing basis of the "sacred medicine" that has been placed high hopes on? Is it affordable for patients?
Data map: A square cabin hospital on the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil's largest city.
How is the price of ridxivir set?
On the 29th, U.S. time, Gilead Science Chairman and CEO Daniel O'Day issued an open letter announcing the pricing of Ridsivir-the price for the government of developed countries was set at 390 US dollars per bottle, targeting US private insurance companies. The price will be $520 per bottle.
Based on the dosage of 6 bottles per course of treatment for 5 days, the equivalent cost per patient is US$2340 (approximately RMB16,600). For US patients with commercial insurance, the medical fee is US$3120 per course ( (Approximately RMB 22,000).
For pricing, Gilead also gave an explanation: The first study of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) on hospitalized patients infected with new coronavirus pneumonia showed that redcive reduced the recovery time by an average of 4 day. Taking the United States as an example, each patient who is discharged early will save the hospital about $12,000.
Daniel O'Day also mentioned in the open letter, "Even if we only consider these direct resource savings for the medical system, we can see the potential value of redoxivir. This has not yet included patients who may shorten hospital stays. Take into account the direct benefits."
Gilead said that in order to eliminate the need for countries to negotiate prices, the company has reduced prices to a level that can be afforded by developed countries with the lowest purchasing power. This price will apply to all developed country governments around the world that have approved or authorized the use of redoxir.
But this price has caused considerable controversy. There is a voice in the United States that taxpayers should get a lower price. There are also concerns that redcivir has not been proven to reduce the risk of death.
Because in early June, Gilead announced the summary results of the SIMPLE phase III trial of hospitalized patients with moderate new coronavirus pneumonia, which was mixed.
Patients receiving the 5-day course of reduxil were more likely to experience clinical improvement on day 11, and the improvement was 65% higher than the standard treatment group. However, compared with the standard treatment, the results of the 10-day course of redoxivir have not reached statistical significance.
Data Map: On May 3, the very lively Tamil District of Kathmandu, Nepal, was very deserted due to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic. Photo by Zhang Chenyi
The lowest price of generic drugs may be 10% of the original drug
Although Gilead has caused a series of controversies over the prices given by developed countries, the company has stated that in developing countries with more diverse medical resources, infrastructure and economic conditions, the company has reached an agreement with generic drug manufacturers. So that they can provide drugs at a lower price.
Just in May of this year, Gilead announced that it had signed a cooperation agreement with five generic drug companies in India and Pakistan, authorizing them to produce ridcive in 127 countries around the world. This cooperation is a non-exclusive voluntary license and does not accept Royalties.
According to media reports, not long ago, the Indian Drug Administration has approved Gilead Scientific’s generic drug Ridesivir for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia.
Earlier, two domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers in India also announced the prices of their generic drugs. Among them, Hetero, headquartered in Hyderabad, and Cipla, headquartered in Mumbai, plan to launch products at a price of 5000-6000 rupees (65-78 US dollars) and 3000-4000 rupees (39-52 US dollars) within a week.
Compared with Gilead's original drug, the price of generic drugs is much lower.
Data map: On April 1, local time, a hospital in Italy launched a "robot nurse" to care for patients with new coronary pneumonia.
Global speeding up drug research and development, "shen medicine" may face competitive pressure
Although Ridesivir has been called "new crown magic medicine" by the outside world, as countries continue to explore clinical treatments, more drugs may become alternative drugs for the treatment of new coronary pneumonia, and many of them are cheaper.
Recently, India has approved Fapiravir for patients with mild to moderate new coronary pneumonia.
Preliminary clinical trial results from the United Kingdom show that dexamethasone can also save the life of severe patients with new coronary pneumonia. For patients who use a ventilator, their mortality rate can be reduced by about one third, and for patients who only receive oxygen, they can The mortality rate is reduced by about one-fifth.
In addition, recent studies have shown that the use of statins can reduce the mortality rate of new crowns and the incidence of invasive mechanical ventilation. The mortality rate of patients using this drug has decreased by 45%.
This is mainly because the main purpose of statins is to lower cholesterol, which can slow down the response of animal immune cells, effectively reduce inflammation, and alleviate lung damage in experimental animals. These three symptoms are very common in patients with severe new pneumonia and often lead to Fatal organ damage.
These drugs are likely to have an impact on the market of ridxivir in the future.
It has been reported that although official clinical data of dexamethasone has not been published, according to the US Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) forecast, if dexamethasone is approved, the price of redisive will be lowered.
However, Gilead still showed confidence. The company said it will continue to work hard to increase the supply of drugs to meet the high global demand. By the end of this year, it is expected that the investment in the development and production of Redcive will exceed US$1 billion.
Today, the spread of the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic is still global. Data from WHO shows that the number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 10 million. In addition, many places have rebounded after restarting the economy.
Under the grim prevention and control situation, it is imminent to find safe, effective and economical treatments.
Obviously, in the face of a large number of confirmed cases, in addition to speeding up drug research and development, how to find a more cost-effective treatment is a major problem that countries need to solve. (Finish)