Oral COVID-19 Treatment at 900,000 KRW Per Person... Government "Nation Will Cover Full Cost"

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters Meeting Results Briefing [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As the government revealed that the price of the oral treatment for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which is currently under a pre-purchase contract, is expected to exceed 900,000 KRW per person, the government stated that if the treatment is introduced, the state will cover the full cost.

On the 13th, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, responded to a question about the out-of-pocket expenses for the introduction of oral COVID-19 treatments during a regular back briefing, saying, "COVID-19 treatment is fully supported by the government. The entire treatment process is covered by health insurance and the national budget. In reality, there is no cost burden on the public."

He added, "Even if the treatment is introduced, this principle will be applied equally, so the system will operate without any out-of-pocket expenses for the public."

COVID-19 is designated as a "Class 1 infectious disease." According to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, the government covers all treatment costs for Class 1 infectious diseases. Currently, the costs for administering 'Remdesivir' and 'Rekkirona,' which are used as COVID-19 treatments domestically, are fully supported by the government.

This year, 16.8 billion KRW was allocated in the supplementary budget for purchasing oral treatments, and 19.4 billion KRW is budgeted for next year. Considering that the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency stated that the supplementary budget this year includes treatment costs for 18,000 people and next year's budget includes costs for 20 million people, the purchase cost per person is estimated to be about 950,000 KRW.

Meanwhile, oral treatments currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials overseas include MSD's Molnupiravir, Roche's AT-527, and Pfizer's PF-07321332. The government is monitoring the development status of oral treatments and is negotiating purchases with each pharmaceutical company.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.