Coronavirus Patients Unlikely to Pay Out-of-Pocket for Remdesivir Drug Treatment: HHS Secretary


Hospitalized patients with coronavirus are unlikely to pay the cost of treatment with remdesivir due to the way the federal government allocates the drug, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday.

WHAT IS REMDESIVIR, THE POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS MEDICINE OF GILEAD?

“It is very unlikely that the patient will bear the cost of this, given that it is a medicine for hospitalized patients,” said Azar “Mañanas con María.” “You are in the hospital, the hospital is receiving a payment for your inpatient visit. They buy that drug and supply it out of pocket, and if you deliver this hospital stay a third shorter than the data shows, then that could be a beneficial financial move. “

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Gilead Sciences, the California-based company that developed remdesivir, announced Monday that it will charge U.S. hospitals $ 3,120 for a commercially insured patient who needs a shorter course of treatment. That price drops to $ 2,340 for a patient with government insurance.

“We secured the donation of more than 140,000 treatment courses in May and June, and we work with states to distribute it where it is most needed,” said Azar. “Now Gilead is launching the product on the commercial market.”

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President Trump has secured the commitment of half a million remdesivir courses for the United States over the next three months, Azar said. The drug will be distributed to states, which will distribute it to hospitals, he said.

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