October 16, 2023- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that HHS and Pfizer have reached an agreement that extends patient access to Paxlovid, maximizes taxpayer investment, and begins Paxlovid’s transition to the commercial market in November 2023.
This agreement builds on HHS and Pfizer’s strong partnership over the last three years that enabled the development, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics at a record pace.
HHS has consistently expressed a shared interest in jointly transitioning Paxlovid to the commercial market while ensuring that the United States taxpayer continues to receive fair and reasonable benefit from the HHS procurement of this product, with a focus on ensuring affordable access for beneficiaries in public programs like Medicare and Medicaid as well as for those who are uninsured.
Features of the agreement include protecting individuals in public programs (such as Medicare), ensuring no HHS-procured product is lost to expiry, creating a stockpile for future emergencies, and providing a smooth transition to the commercial market.