webfact Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 by Paul Rujopakarn BANGKOK (NNT) - The Cabinet has approved a 500-million-baht budget for the purchase of the Paxlovid antiviral medication for treating COVID-19 patients. Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul disclosed that the budget was approved as part of the Ministry of Public Health’s 8.4 billion baht proposal to combat the ongoing pandemic. The majority of the funds will be distributed to frontline medical workers and officials affiliated with the public health secretariat office who are working to prevent and contain the spread of the virus. Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe The procurement will allow public health officials to provide more COVID treatment options for patients. Green chiretta, favipiravir, molnupiravir and remdesivir are currently being used to treat those with mild conditions. Paxlovid has been shown to have one of the highest efficacy rates in combating the coronavirus, reducing the risk of hospitalization or death by around 88%. Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view -- © Copyright NNT 2022-03-24 - Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here. - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffggi Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 2 hours ago, webfact said: Paxlovid has been shown to have one of the highest efficacy rates in combating the coronavirus, reducing the risk of hospitalization or death by around 88%. Then why not make them available for the general public at a reasonable price instead of only through distribution through hospitals ........??? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooMuchTime Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 42 minutes ago, Geoffggi said: Then why not make them available for the general public at a reasonable price instead of only through distribution through hospitals ........??? Not as profitable. I think you should reflect on yourself and think of the shareholders. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAMHERE Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 If the pills were sold for reasonable price to the general public the 'general' public will buy them all up and then the rest of the people would have to buy the pills at the local market or street cart for an unreasonable marked up price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardColeman Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 4 hours ago, webfact said: Paxlovid has been shown to have one of the highest efficacy rates in combating the coronavirus, reducing the risk of hospitalization or death by around 88%. I seriously doubt that ridiculous figure. In severe cases, yes maybe. But 12% of the population getting covid do not die or end up needing hospital care. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 I'm not seeing the $$ working out in Thailand. Except maybe for the Elite and the heavily insured. Pfizer studies show that Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalization from 7% to 1%. That's the 88% reduction. But that requires treating 100 people to reduce hospitalization from 7 patients to 1 patient. At $530 USD for a 5 day course of treatment, that's $53,000 to prevent 6 hospitalizations and maybe 1 death. And they have to treat within a few days of onset of symptoms. That's mighty spendy for the Thai masses. Just the optics... You only have a 7% chance of needing hospitalization, or you can spend $530 to reduce that to a 1% chance. $530 is what the US gub'ment is paying. Thailand may get it cheaper, but the US gub'ment has a price matching clause, so I can't see Pfizer selling them to Thailand much, if any, cheaper. Though I doubt Thailand is on the list of price match countries (it's other high income countries), there would be pressure to reduce the US's price if they start cutting the price to other areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailand Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 "Follow the money"? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebell Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 6 hours ago, webfact said: The majority of the funds will be distributed to Anutin & others in the know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 The Pfizer Thailand sales team blew through their quota in Q1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunBENQ Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 5 hours ago, Geoffggi said: Then why not make them available for the general public at a reasonable price instead of only through distribution through hospitals ........??? Up here Covid patients are treated with Paracetamol and some cough medicine at best. And if rural doctors complain about the lack of proper drugs then it's called a lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will B Good Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 (edited) This drug is for people with mild(ish) symptoms who are at risk of developing serious complications......not for the general public to pop like smarties. 500 million seems a little OTT Edited March 24, 2022 by Will B Good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroveHillWanderer Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 6 hours ago, Geoffggi said: Then why not make them available for the general public at a reasonable price instead of only through distribution through hospitals ........??? Supplies of Paxlovid are limited - even in the US they are having problems getting supplies to patients who require it, quickly enough. Additionally, it is only recommended for patients "who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death" according to the US FDA. As far as I can tell it is not a medicine that should be available without being prescribed by a medical professional and should be reserved for cases of true clinical need. Allowing it to be freely sold over the counter could mean it's not available for the people who really need it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 8 hours ago, Geoffggi said: Then why not make them available for the general public at a reasonable price instead of only through distribution through hospitals ........??? Because it is another excuse for the hospitals to rip us off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthedarkside Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Several off-topic posts and replies have been removed, including links to dubious research on an unapproved, alternative medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorry Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 14 hours ago, impulse said: 530 is what the US gub'ment is paying 53 USD is the price for the consumer in Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorry Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 17 hours ago, Geoffggi said: why not make them available for the general public It interacts with many common medications. The interactions can be deadly. You need a doctor for this stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 1 hour ago, Lorry said: 16 hours ago, impulse said: 530 is what the US gub'ment is paying 53 USD is the price for the consumer in Germany I suspect that's a subsidized number. I could be wrong, but Germany is on the list of G7 countries with a price match clause in the US purchase agreement. If they're buying it for $53, the US is entitled to a price match. It would make sense for a high cost, Universal Healthcare country to subsidize or even give away 10 or 15 courses to prevent one hospitalization. And that's how the numbers from the Pfizer study shake out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorry Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 31 minutes ago, impulse said: I suspect that's a subsidized number It is not. The subsidized price is 0.00 € (the federal government pays). If you want to pay out of pocket the price is 59.50 € which is about 53 USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 2 minutes ago, Lorry said: It is not. The subsidized price is 0.00 € (the federal government pays). If you want to pay out of pocket the price is 59.50 € which is about 53 USD. Good info. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out... Federal government gets a price match guarantee The contract also has something called most favored nation pricing. It's kind of like getting a product at a store with a price match guarantee, like Target or Best Buy. If one of six other wealthy countries, such as Japan or Germany, gets a lower price for Paxlovid, the U.S. can push the company for the same price. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/02/01/1075876794/feds-contract-with-pfizer-for-paxlovid-has-some-surprises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroveHillWanderer Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 12 hours ago, Lorry said: It interacts with many common medications. The interactions can be deadly. You need a doctor for this stuff This. According to express-scripts.com: Quote Paxlovid has the potential to interact with over 20 different classes of prescription medications. Some of the more common ones are cholesterol medications known as statins, antiplatelet medications given after a heart attack or stent placement, antiarrhythmic medications, epilepsy medications, hormonal contraceptives, and opioid pain relievers. Paxlovid medication interactions 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superal Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 These anti viral medicines are available to severely affected and hospitalised Thai nationals and for free but not to farangs who must pay or not get . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now