“I finally managed to buy Paxlovid and Azvudine”, testifies Ying (who requested anonymity) from Beijing, Friday, January 6. The 30-year-old paid 5,470 yuan (758 euros) for these drugs. Paxlovid is an antiviral treatment combining two antivirals (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) developed by the Pfizer laboratory, reserved for patients at risk of a severe form of Covid-19, and Azvudine is an antiviral from the Chinese laboratory Henan Biotech. According to the French High Authority for Health, Paxlovid greatly reduces the risk of complications if administered within five days of the onset of symptoms of Covid-19. Entered the Chinese market in the spring of 2022, it was not sold online until the official announcement of the zero Covid policy relief on December 7, 2022. Both drugs are highly recommended by Chinese doctors, including the Doctor Zhang Wenhong, a highly publicized specialist in the country.
But the availability of these drugs is limited, even in private hospitals that target the country’s elites. Within the highly reputable United Family Hospital network, only three of its ten sites had Paxlovid on Thursday 5 January. “Stockouts occurred in December 2022”, says one at the United Family Hospital, even if the treatment costs up to 2,300 yuan (316 euros). For the past few days, in the largest cities, some patients have had access to it through public health centers. The price of treatment varies greatly from one province to another – between 200 yuan, or 27 euros in Beijing and Shanghai, and 2,300 yuan, or 316 euros in Guangzhou –, because the rules for reimbursement of Paxlovid by the Chinese health insurance are not yet unified.
With a prescription, Internet users try their luck online, refreshing the sales pages, sometimes for days. Many are young people seeking to preserve their elderly loved ones. For her part, Ying struggled for a whole day and finally placed an order on Jingdong and Meituan, two sites offering both teleconsultation and medication. Far from her family in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, she has been living in anguish for three weeks because her chronically ill grandparents and father are among the high-risk population. “During his recent visit to a public hospital for his diabetes, my father was shocked to see the chaotic situation in the respiratory department”raconte Ying.
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