Corona drug Paxlovid – nationwide investigation against pharmacists

According to information from WDR, NDR and SZ filed charges against pharmacists. They are suspected of illegally reselling the state-paid corona drug Paxlovid.

In February 2022, the federal government purchased one million packs of the corona drug Paxlovid from the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and made it available to pharmacies free of charge to provide care to affected patients.

At the beginning of 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health discovered that individual pharmacies in Germany had ordered enormously large quantities of Paxlovid – in some cases apparently more than 1,000 packs. The officials in Karl Lauterbach’s ministry were convinced that this could not be done properly. There couldn’t be so many patients who want Paxlovid in a single pharmacy.

This corresponds to the experience of pharmacist Max Wilke. He is the lead pharmacist for four pharmacies of different sizes in Berlin and therefore has a good overview of which medications are in demand and how frequently. “Depending on the location of our pharmacies, we delivered between five and 30 packs throughout 2022.”

There were a similar number of packs in 2023. Paxlovid can help older people if they take it immediately after corona infection. Wilke finds it very unbelievable that a single pharmacy needed more than 1,000 packs.

Searches in pharmacies

The general counsel of the Ministry of Health formulated complaints against several pharmacies with large orders. The suspicion: They could have resold the drugs illegally. According to information from WDR, NDR and “Süddeutscher Zeitung”, the ministry sent criminal complaints against pharmacists to more than 25 public prosecutors nationwide. In most of these cases, investigations are still ongoing.

In Bavaria, the public prosecutor’s office for corruption in the healthcare system searched various pharmacies in Upper Bavaria, Middle Franconia, Upper Franconia and Upper Palatinate three weeks ago with the help of around 60 police officers. The accused are said to have “sold Paxlovid in disregard of the BMG’s requirements and thereby embezzled it,” as senior public prosecutor Matthias Held said at the request of WDR, NDR and SZ reports.

In Berlin, the public prosecutor’s office searched a total of six pharmacies. One is said to have ordered 1,400 packs of Paxlovid, another more than 1,800 packs. Investigators say that there is still no trace of where the drugs ended up. The spokesman for the Berlin public prosecutor’s office estimates the possible damage in the capital at three million euros. Charges in the Berlin cases are expected in the first quarter of this year.

In Frankfurt am Main, a pharmacy in the city center is said to have ordered almost 10,000 packs of Paxlovid. The investigations in Frankfurt are still ongoing, “a conclusion to the proceedings is not yet in sight,” as the public prosecutor’s office there said.

Accusations due to Suspicion of infidelity

In Hamburg, the public prosecutor’s office is also investigating Paxlovid against two pharmacy owners “on suspicion of violating the Medicines Act,” as the authority announced. While the investigations are still ongoing in most cases, the public prosecutor’s offices in Darmstadt and Hanover have discontinued the proceedings due to a lack of suspicion, and the Verden public prosecutor’s office also wants to do the same.

In Baden-Baden, on the other hand, the public prosecutor’s office has already completed its investigation and brought charges against a pharmacist a few days before Christmas. The accusation in this case is breach of trust combined with unauthorized wholesale trading. The pharmacist is said to have sold a total of 1,393 packs of Paxlovid “to unidentifiable people abroad”, as the responsible public prosecutor said upon request.

The investigation is difficult. It is hardly possible to clarify whether the medicines paid for by the state were resold illegally or simply thrown away after the expiry date, as individual pharmacists claim. “There is no requirement that pharmacists have to specifically dispose of Paxlovid packages or document this,” says an investigator.

650 euros per pack?

The price that Germany paid to Pfizer per pack of Paxlovid was previously a well-kept secret. Research by WDR, NDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” have now revealed that the federal government paid around 650 euros per pack, i.e. a total of around 650 million euros. Neither the pharmaceutical giant nor the Ministry of Health want to comment on the price, citing confidentiality clauses.

Upon request, the ministry simply stated that 560,000 therapy units had been delivered by wholesalers to pharmacies. For data reasons, it is not known how many packs actually reached patients.

A clue to this is provided by research from WDR, NDR and SZ, however, the figures from the Federal Office for Social Security BAS. For each package prescribed, wholesalers, pharmacists and doctors can charge a total fee of almost 60 euros, which the BAS reimburses.

The Federal Office will have paid more than 18 million euros for this by the end of 2023. From this it can be estimated that around 300,000 packs could have been given away. The Ministry of Health does not comment on the estimate. The BAS replies that, from its point of view, an “accurate estimate” is not possible.

Health insurance companies take over payment

From Monday this week, the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer will start direct sales of Paxlovid in Germany. This means that in the future it will no longer be the federal government that will pay for the medication, but rather the health insurance companies – which will now have to spend significantly more on it. According to the AOK Federal Association, the drug will now cost 1,149.19 euros per pack when sold in pharmacies.

According to Pfizer spokeswoman Carolin Crocket, “the price reflects the result of the reimbursement amount negotiations with the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds” and “is based on the considerable additional benefit” that doctors and health insurance representatives in the so-called “Joint Federal Committee” also recognized. In addition, according to Pfizer WDR, NDR and SZ, the agreed price always “depends on the conditions on the respective market”.

Paxlovid is designed to reduce the likelihood of having to go to hospital for Covid. Chancellor Olaf Scholz swallowed Paxlovid tablets after becoming infected with Corona, as did Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD).