States halt reopening plans, Covid drug cost

Transcript

At least 16 states have halted or pushed back reopening plans as a result of a surge in coronavirus infections.

Florida, Texas and Arizona are getting hit especially hard by the virus.

In Florida some counties are closing beaches for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

Jacksonville, Florida is now requiring people to wear face masks in public.

Arizona is closing bars, gyms and other businesses for another 30 days as a precaution.

Meanwhile Gilead Sciences is setting prices for its Covid-19 drug remdesivir as it moves out of its donation period.

Monday in an open letter the company announced the drug will be 390 dollars per vial for the US government and for the governments of developed countries.

The discounted price will not apply to Medicare or Medicaid.

The company says a a typical five-day treatment course includes six vials, so the total discounted price would be two-thousand-340 dollars per patient.

Meanwhile the price for everyone else will be 520 dollars per vial.

That adds up to three-thousand-120 dollars per patient for the same treatment course.

Remdesivir is currently administrated intravenously through infusions.

It’s the only drug that has an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration to treat coronavirus infections.

Posted – 6.30.20