COVID antiviral Paxlovid to see price increase following 400% vaccine hike

The price of the drug is already $530 for a treatment course. That’s what the US government paid for the drug in the emergency phase of the pandemic. But, as the drug moves from government distribution to the commercial market this year, the price is expected to increase. So far, it’s unclear what the new price will be.

In a company investor call Monday, Bourla said only that the “pandemic price” of $530 is likely to be “lesser” than the commercial price and that negotiations are beginning.

One financial analyst who follows the company, Evercore ISI’s Umer Raffat, told CNN that the price could go up roughly three- to fivefold, to as much as $2,500 per course.

Whatever the price ends up being, it will likely mean a co-pay for those with commercial insurance, Bourla said. People with Medicare or Medicaid coverage or who are uninsured will still have access to the drug via government patient assistance programs.

Pfizer’s combination antiviral drug (antivirals nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, sold together as Paxlovid) is intended to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people most at risk of developing severe COVID-19. That includes older people, those with compromised immune systems, and the unvaccinated. Data from earlier this year suggested that it can also help protect against long-term COVID.

Still, several data sources have suggested that Paxlovid has already become underused in treatments recently due to a variety of possible reasons. Last week, Pfizer slashed its revenue projection for 2023 by $9 billion, from a range of $67 billion to $70 billion down to between $58 billion and $61 billion.