Gilead Sciences, the American pharmaceutical company producing a Food and Drug Administration-approved antiviral drug being used to treat severe cases of COVID-19, had agreed to donate its supply of remdesivir through the end of June, but it's now time to put a price on the potentially game-changing medicine — and it won't be cheap.
In the United States, remdesivir will cost $520 per dose, which amounts to more than $3,000 over the course of a typical coronavirus treatment. While that's a lot of money, CNBC reports the price is actually lower than the $5,000 per course some were expecting. Gilead said remdesivir is being offered at a discount "well below value," noting the pandemic requires they do things differently.
The drug will actually be offered at a lower price outside the U.S. Per CNBC, in "other developed countries" the entire course of treatment will cost $2,340, which Gilead says is the result of the way the drug discounting system in the U.S. works.
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