The CCP no longer talks with Pfizer about Paxlovid. Netizens are hotly discussing Taiwan’s free service | Medical Insurance Bureau | The Epoch Times

On January 18, the Medical Insurance Bureau of the Communist Party of China announced the adjustment results of the 2022 medical insurance catalog, and said that it will no longer hold special negotiations with Pfizer on Paxlovid. This news sparked heated discussion among netizens, as they compared the free service of Paxlovid in Taiwan and the United States.

The CCP claimed that the negotiation with Pfizer failed due to the price, but netizens pointed out that the price Pfizer offered to China was much lower than that of the United States and Taiwan. Paxlovid is priced at $530 per box in the United States, and higher in Taiwan. According to the self-pay rate for medications adopted by Taiwan in January and applicable to people without health insurance status and non-nationalities, each box of Paxlovid is NT$21,979 (about US$725), which is about the current price in China (RMB 1,890). 2.5 times.

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center stated that Taiwan’s drug use rate against Paxlovid is about 11%, ranking second in the world, second only to the United States. According to statistics from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of January 11, Taiwan has purchased 1.82 million copies of Paxlovid, and the current arrival volume is about 1.12 million copies, of which nearly 80% have been used, and the rest of the inventory should be used for more than two months.

Taiwanese patients with health insurance status can receive this drug for free after being prescribed by a doctor. In addition to the free service, Chen Yijun, director of the Infection Control Center at National Taiwan University Hospital, pointed out that Paxlovid is more effective in clinical evidence and can reduce about two-thirds of severe deaths.

The CCP’s decision to no longer hold special talks with Pfizer on Paxlovid has attracted much attention, and netizens have questioned why the CCP is not willing to bear the cost of medication for its own people. In the face of this situation, the CCP Medical Insurance Bureau has stated that the consideration of the medical insurance department is that “according to the instructions, most patients can use Paxlovid. my country has a large population base, and the amount of medication will be very large. The medical insurance department must consider the bearing capacity of funds and society.”

The CCP’s decision not to hold special talks with Pfizer on Paxlovid has sparked widespread debate among netizens. This issue has highlighted the importance of providing quality and affordable healthcare to citizens, and has raised questions about the CCP’s commitment to its people.