Feds' contract with Pfizer for Paxlovid has some surprises

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/02/01/ [login to see] /feds-contract-with-pfizer-for-paxlovid-has-some-surprises
The United States is spending about $530 for each 5-day course of Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid. But the contract for the first 10 million doses would allow the government to get a lower price if one of a handful of other wealthy countries gets a better deal on the drug.

It's part of a purchase agreement that seems to be more favorable to the federal government overall compared to the COVID-19 vaccine contracts, says Robin Feldman, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, who focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and drug policy.

"I think this contract reflects a change in the national mood across time," she says. "So with vaccines and some treatments on the shelves, the nation is less panicked. U.S. government officials feel less backed into a corner, more able to negotiate. "

The contract includes a buyback clause, meaning that in the event that Paxlovid's emergency use authorization needs to be withdrawn, Pfizer would buy back unexpired treatment courses from the federal government.