然而，尽管获得了这笔丰厚的资金，默克公司仍将向美国政府收取约每5天疗程712美元的药品费用，成本价仅为17.74美元。报道说，这意味着美国纳税人将为这40倍的加价买单。Original title: profiteering! Xinguankou costs $17.74 and charges the government $712. American pharmaceutical companies have been criticized as "outrageous"
According to RT, Merck's five-day oral medication costs $17.74, but the pharmaceutical company will charge the U.S. government a fee of $712. Against this backdrop, Lena Mengani, an official with M é decins Sans Fronti è res, an international medical aid organization, told the RT that the world needs cheap generic drugs.
According to the report, the US government has provided Merck with about $29 million for the research and development of Monabiravir. The company said the drug "reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50 per cent" in clinical trials of COVID-19 patients.
However, despite the generous funding, Merck will charge the U.S. government about $712 for every five-day course of treatment at a cost of only $17.74. This means that US taxpayers will pay for the 40-fold increase, the report said.
"Pharmaceutical companies need to avoid profiteering in the epidemic," M é decins Sans Fronti è res official Mengani told RT. "if you look at the price of generic drugs, the price of a course of treatment ranges from $15 to $20, and the price of $700 (a course of treatment) is outrageous," Mengani said. "
The drug has been copied and tested in India, the report said. In India, the drug costs between $15 and $20 a course, Mengani said. However, this solution to the production of generic drugs is still awaiting approval, and these cheaper drugs are not available in countries where intellectual property laws are strictly enforced.
