The new COVID pills might not solve all our problems
. The agency cleared the Pfizer pill for patients ages 12 and up, and the Merck pill for adults at least 18 years old.
The pills aren’t cheap. A course of paxlovid costs around $500. A molnupiravir course could set you back $700. But most Americans should be able to get either pill for free. Many insurance plans cover them. And the federal government has stepped in to purchase the pills for the uninsured. And it’s not like every course of treatment will cure a patient. While paxlovid is around 88 percent effective at preventing death, molnupiravir is a lot less effective. Early trial results seemed to indicate the drug might reduce deaths by half.
Redlener pointed out that the FDA panel that voted in favor of authorization for molnupiravir did so reluctantly. Ten of the panel’s 23 members actually voted against authorization. “That’s a lot of not-in-favor [votes],” Redlener said. “Even some people who voted for it had reservations.” The likely paxlovid shortage isn’t inevitable. The Biden administration could massively boost supply by applying the Defense Production Act, a 1950 law that gives the feds broad control over certain private industries. The DPA gives the government the authority to dictate what products a company produces and the flexibility to finance that production.
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