"We hope that every patient in need can use Azvudine. Now Fosun Pharma is going all out to ensure production and supply under the unified coordination and deployment of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology."
On January 11, Wen Deyong, a representative of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and CEO of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd., introduced in an exclusive interview with reporters at the Shanghai Two Sessions that the current new crown antiviral drug Azivudine Tablets (hereinafter referred to as : Azvudine) has completed the medical insurance network in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. The price of the network is 270 yuan per bottle (35 tablets per bottle, 1 mg per tablet), covering major medical institutions across the country, including two Hospitals above the national level and primary medical and health institutions.
At the same time, Azvudine has opened an Internet hospital consultation and prescription platform channel to facilitate people's medical treatment.
"The reason why the unit price of Azivudin is determined at 270 yuan is to take into account two principles: convenience and affordability, including the affordability of the national medical insurance." Wen Deyong said.
Adjusting internal production capacity, AZF will ensure supply as "Task No. 1"
According to public information, Azvudine was jointly developed by Fosun Pharma and Henan Real Biotech. It is China's first small molecule oral drug with completely independent intellectual property rights for the treatment of new coronavirus infection. Council conditional approval.
On August 9, 2022, the General Office of the National Health Commission and the Office of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine included Azvudine Tablets in the "Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Ninth Edition)". Included in the 10th edition of "Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Novel Coronavirus Infection".
When insured patients use the drug, the medical insurance fund can pay according to regulations.
Wen Deyong said that under the unified leadership and command of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Fosun Pharma participates in the entire production process of Azvudine's supply-side raw materials, packaging materials, excipients, and production sites, coordinates the group's internal production capacity, and also cooperates with the central enterprise China Resources Group Hezhenbio, together with local production enterprises in Henan, guarantees the overall production capacity supply.
How to ensure the supply of Azvudine in the face of the peak drug use that may usher in the Spring Festival?
Wen Deyong told The Paper that at present, guaranteeing the supply of Azivudine has become the "No. Supply can meet demand in the first time.
In addition, ensuring drug safety is also the primary goal of Fosun Pharma.
Wen Deyong introduced that as the first domestic small-molecule oral drug for the treatment of COVID-19 infection, Azvudine has carried out post-exposure prevention of COVID-19 infection clinical trials in the Philippines and other countries, and has also carried out multiple real data after listing in various parts of the country. Research.
The results of multiple domestic and foreign clinical studies of Azvudine have also proved its efficacy and safety against the new coronavirus.
He revealed to reporters that in 2019, the top management of Fosun Pharma held a board meeting to discuss what the group could do after the outbreak.
"The first thing we thought of was to make full use of Fosun's international capabilities and advantages to coordinate global anti-epidemic materials to China to ensure that China's anti-epidemic materials are adequately supplied. At that time, we thought about the layout of vaccines, small molecules and large molecules. Molecular Drugs."
Previously, on the evening of January 8, the National Medical Insurance Administration released a message, and the person in charge of the Medical Management Department of the National Medical Insurance Administration introduced, "This year, there are a total of Azvudine tablets, Nematevir tablets/Ritonavir tablets combined packaging, lung-clearing Paidu Granules, three new crown treatment drugs, participated in the negotiation through the procedures of self-declaration, formal review, and expert review. Among them, Azvudine Tablets and Qingfei Paidu Granules were successfully negotiated, but Paxlovid failed due to high quotations from the manufacturer Pfizer Investment Co., Ltd. success."
According to previous reports by The Paper.
On January 3, Azvudine supply terminals have covered 115 secondary and tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, and 113 community hospitals have been admitted.
The accessibility of this small-molecule drug has been further improved, and patients will be able to issue corresponding prescriptions after being consulted and evaluated by a doctor in the nearest community.
It is recommended that elderly care institutions speed up the stockpiling of new crown drugs and encourage leading pharmaceutical companies to jointly build clinical research centers
This year's Shanghai Two Sessions, Wen Deyong brought two suggestions for the pain points and difficulties in the medical field.
One is a suggestion to stockpile new crown antiviral drugs for the elderly in this city.
Wen Deyong said that after the comprehensive adjustment of the epidemic prevention policy, the protection of the elderly has become the new focus of prevention and control.
As the probability of the elderly being infected with the new crown has risen sharply, especially in nursing homes and other places where the elderly are concentrated, if the infection of the virus is not blocked in time, it is very easy to cause collective infection and secondary infection, which will greatly increase the rate of severe illness and serious illness of the elderly. risk of death.
He suggested that the government should expedite the stockpiling of antiviral drugs for elderly care institutions, community health service centers, and street health centers where work units (such as sanitation companies, security companies, etc.) are located, so as to ensure that the elderly can take medicines as soon as possible after infection, and block them in time. The virus replicates in the body to avoid severe illness.
The second is about encouraging leading pharmaceutical companies to build clinical research centers.
Wen Deyong believes that the construction of a clinical research center with an international leading level is a long-term and challenging systematic project. It is difficult to guarantee high-level results and outputs only by relying on state funding and independent operation of the hospital. He suggested that the government encourage social forces to participate in the joint venture. construction, especially a leading pharmaceutical company with comprehensive strength.
"Leading companies have strong hematopoietic functions and capital operation capabilities. Some companies also have their own foundations, which can continue to invest in R&D. Second, leading companies have a strong talent system. Some companies have their own holdings and shareholding hospitals. Academic leaders, experts and other top scientific research talents facilitate the sharing of human resources, complement each other's advantages, conduct world-leading clinical research, and truly achieve market-oriented transformation of innovative achievements." Wen Deyong said.