As the world waits anxiously for more effective COVID-19 treatments and for a vaccine to halt the pandemic, analysts on all sides are examining appropriate pricing models for these critical products. Gilead’s $3000 price tag on remdesivir ($2300 for US public health programs), set in late June 2020, came in lower than financial analysts expected, but still outraged consumer advocates and liberal politicians. Skepticism has greeted promises from some vaccine makers pledging to offer preventives on a no-profit basis due to uncertainty about what that promise means and the timeframe for free or low-cost programs.
