The lack of the corona drug Paxlovid in Austrian pharmacies raises questions – and not only because of the lack of care for seriously ill people. There is also a lot of money involved. It is unclear where the approximately 20,000 packs of Paxlovid, worth at least 14 million euros, are located.
Pharmacies usually purchase their own medicines from wholesalers. In Paxlovid’s case, the federal government paid for the drug and essentially gave it to pharmacies “for free.” The department only has the invoices for the packages issued through the health insurance regulations.
There is no proof of the whereabouts of the packages
The Ministry of Health now also requires receipts from the chamber for the distribution of 15,000 packets through private prescriptions and the destruction of the 4,600 packets. They don’t exist yet. At a price of 700 to 900 euros per pack, this equates to at least 14 million euros in taxpayer money.
The federal government has purchased a total of 180,000 packages of Paxlovid. A total of 123,000 packs were delivered to community pharmacies between March 2022 and the end of November 2023. 57,000 packages were delivered to hospitals and medical pharmacies.
123,000 boxes delivered to pharmacies
Of the 123,000 packets delivered to community pharmacies, approximately 90,000 prescription packets had been delivered by the end of November 2023. According to the Chamber of Pharmacists, 15,000 packets have been distributed on private prescription (including to tourists, doctors, teachers, civil servants, lawyers, municipal employees, etc.). Around 4,600 packs are said to have been properly disposed of in pharmacies due to the expiry date, before their shelf life was extended by a subsequent decision at EU level.
An additional 8,000 were said to have been provided through health insurance and private prescriptions in December. The remaining 3,400 packages are in some of the 1,400 pharmacies or are already being redistributed via pharmaceutical wholesalers, according to the Chamber of Pharmacists. At the beginning of this year, 2,000 packages were allegedly embezzled from a pharmacy. On January 16, 2023, the Chamber of Pharmacists drew up a report with the Public Prosecution Service.
Bottleneck in supply
The problem arose in early December when bottlenecks arose in the supply of Paxlovid. The ministry was surprised by the lack of Paxlovid, as the supply should have lasted all winter. Another 18,000 packages have now been reordered.
In response to a ‘Krone’ request, the chamber said it was working to “improve the ongoing information provided to the ministry on Paxlovid stockpiles in community pharmacies.” Supply in Austria is currently secured. Regarding the destruction of expired packages, please contact the Federal Office for Security in the Healthcare System. This is responsible for extending the expiration date. Pharmacies play no role here.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
