Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Admin Buying More Of Pfizer's Covid Pill As Hospitals Clamor For It
NBC News: Biden Doubles Order For Pfizer Covid Pills As Surge Closes Schools, Businesses
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the U.S. will double its order for a pill from Pfizer to treat Covid infections so it has enough courses for 20 million people. Biden said the evidence suggests that those who are vaccinated are less likely to develop severe illness, especially with a booster dose. But he said more work needs to be done to get Americans vaccinated, with the unvaccinated making up the vast majority of recent hospitalizations. (Pettypiece, 1/4)
The Washington Post: Doctors Bemoan Limited Supply Of Game-Changing Antiviral Pills Amid Winter Surge
Easy-to-take antiviral pills, authorized just before Christmas, were hailed as a potential turning point in the fight against the coronavirus because of the medicines’ ability to keep high-risk people out of the hospital. But doctors say the limited initial supply of the pills, especially Pfizer’s Paxlovid, means they are unlikely to alleviate the strain on many hospitals confronting climbing admissions and staffing shortages made worse by omicron infections. In communities with soaring case numbers, physicians are especially eager to offer the pills, which people can take at home to avoid serious illness. (Shepherd, 1/4)
Also —
Reuters: Dr Reddy's To Launch Generic COVID-19 Merck Drug At About 50 Cents A Pill
Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd will launch its generic version of Merck's antiviral COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir, and price it at 35 rupees ($0.47) per capsule, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. The overall cost for a patient treated with a 5-day course of 40 capsules of the generic drug, to be sold under brand name 'Molflu', will come up to 1,400 rupees ($18.77). In comparison, the treatment with Merck's pill in the United States costs $700. (1/4)
