Merck is the Big Pharma company producing an experimental antiviral pill for Covid-19 treatment is accused of selling the drug to the US at 40 times the cost of its production, found a report. Molnupiravir, manufactured by pharmaceutical company Merck, has entered into a contract with the US government to supply 1.7 million courses at a price of $700 per course.
An analysis of drug pricing by Harvard School of Public Health and King’s College Hospital in London found that it takes about $17.74 to produce a five-day course.
The pill, hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of coronavirus, was originally developed to treat influenza using government funds. The antiviral drug could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalised for those most at risk of contracting severe Covid-19. The medicine is designed to introduce error in the genetic code of the virus itself and is the first oral antiviral medication for Covid-19. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a body under the Department of Defence, invested in a “broad-spectrum antiviral, leading to the discovery of molnupiravir through collaborative research” with Merck, Emory University, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and National Institute of Health. The government originally provided Emory University with $29mn in grants between 2013 to 2020, reported Axios. But the federal government declined to put more money into the drug until there was more data. In May 2020, Merck bought the exclusive rights to sell and manufacture the drug worldwide. Despite the government’s investment, the company plans to seek emergency use authorisation in the US in the coming weeks, will reap the profits alongside Ridgeback and could earn as much as $7bn by the end of this year, reported <em>Quartz</em>. While critics have argued that the prices should be subsidised due to the funding from the government exchequers, in an interview with <em>CNBC</em>, Ridgeback co-founder Wendy Holman defended the prices saying that while the company asked for, they “never got government funding” to help manufacture the drug before they turned to Merck. Merck had earlier said that it will “implement a tiered pricing approach based on World Bank data that recognizes countries’ relative ability to finance their health response to the pandemic.” It has already entered into licensing agreements with at least eight companies in India including Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Labs, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Hetero Labs, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Viatris. This would allow each company to make and sell the drug in India and 100 other low and middle-income countries. NN: I do not get into a tizzy fit by this kind of shit. We all know that drug companies and Wall Street to name a couple are out to screw us… so So SO. Its all started since Adam got fucked when Eve in the first documented conspiracy colluded with the snake. And we got fucked….
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it:
cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
What you believe is your business. But the point of this story is the fact that the Thorns and thistles grow in my fields. No fertilizer, no water and no cultivation. Early in life when i was sent to the “punishment” farm my first job was cutting thickets with a hoe. My hands were blistered and bloodied……. So i believe this shit. I always wondered would it not be a wonderful world if corn and wheat would grow like weeds……..
SO the point of my story is we are not going to change things. So instead of a tizzy fit i learned how to trade a corrupt market and make millions. As far as big Pharma….. I do not care what they charge because i am smart enough to get the medicines I decide to take. And i can steal enough money from Wall Street to pay the going rate for medicines, food and women. I am not going ta waste my time fighting a losing battle in futile attempt to change a system that has been stacked against me since dirt was created. I have learned how to out think the bastards. And I know how to beat them at their own game. And i am glad you have joined me… and besides it more fun my way….