Merck, Pfizer rebuff China's push for deeper price cuts on Covid drugs

Top US makers of Covid drugs appear to be pushing back on China's efforts to get them to cut their prices, underscoring the challenges the country faces in giving its vast population easy access to antivirals.

Merck & Co's molnupiravir, also known as Lagevrio, will sell in China for 1,500 yuan ($221) per bottle, local media outlet Jiemian reported on Tuesday, citing sources it didn't identify. While that's lower than the cost in many western countries, the price signals the US drug firm didn't agree to a request by the Chinese authorities to cut the price further, it said. The company didn't respond to Bloomberg News' emailed request for comment on the Chinese media report.

The apparent rebuff coincides with a similar deadlock over Pfizer Inc's antiviral Paxlovid. Talks between the drugmaker and the Chinese agency that oversees the $423 billion state medical insurance program to cut the treatment cost failed over the weekend.