Pharmacist representatives had previously criticized the fact that too little Paxlovid was purchased. Rauch, on the other hand, referred to a hitherto inexplicable loss and demanded clarification from the pharmacies regarding Paxlovid's whereabouts.
Rauch also called on the Financial Prosecutor's Office – “Attorney of the Republic” – “to examine the next steps in a timely manner. “We will decide how to proceed based on feedback from pharmacies,” says Rauch.
APA/Barbara Gindl In pharmacies, medicines are classified accurately
Chamber of Pharmacists defends itself
The Chamber of Pharmacists responded that Paxlovid has been billed through health insurers for the past two years. Furthermore, the medicine was administered to people who did not belong to an umbrella association fund and to people who presented a private medical prescription – “including tourists, civil servants, public teachers, etc”.
The differences between packaging ordered by the federal government and delivered by the wholesaler and billing via social security or private prescriptions are due to “the different billing modalities and the legal – late – deadline”, said the pharmacy representative.
During the pandemic, the federal government makes the corona medicine available in the short term #Paxlovid purchased to save lives. Pharmacies received more than 130 thousand packages in the last 2 years. My ministry has them @apokammer today asked to provide full evidence of its use. 1/4
-Johannes Rauch (@johannes_rauch) January 23, 2024
“Total transparency”
Paxlovid was distributed under the premise that “patient care should be provided in a widespread, rapid and unbureaucratic manner as possible. “Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health did not provide any specific guidance on those eligible and the conditions for exemption,” continued the Chamber of Pharmacists.
The Chamber “has done everything in its power – and will continue to do so with complete transparency – to make any deviations that may have occurred plausible. This procedure was also discussed with the Ministry of Health.”
APA/Eva Manhart Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) is investigating the Paxlovid shortage
Rauch: Various explanations but no evidence
The argument about different charging modalities is incomprehensible, said Rauch on the sidelines of an afternoon media event. The loss is “inexplicable”. There is only speculation about what happened to him. The delivered Paxlovid will be the property of the Republic until the end of January. “We paid for it”, highlighted the minister, pointing out the high price, which is around 600 euros per pack.
According to Rauch, several receipts are missing, as was said in the morning: “So far we only have invoices for the Paxlovid packages that were dispensed with a prescription from the health insurance. There are several explanations for the rest (private income, exceeding the expiration date), but no evidence”, says Rauch. In Germany there are already several investigations into breach of trust, fraud or embezzlement related to Paxlovid, the Ministry of Health said. “We also have pharmacies whose orders or turnover differ noticeably from the national average,” Rauch continued.
Investigations against Tyrolean pharmacy
In Austria, investigations are already underway against a pharmacy in Tyrol. Innsbruck Public Prosecutor's Office spokesman Hansjörg Mayr confirmed the corresponding media reports to the APA. An investigation into suspected fraud is underway against those responsible for the pharmacy in question.
Paxlovid is said to have been ordered without any prescriptions being available to patients. There is now suspicion that the medicines were “unofficially resold”. It is estimated that around 2,500 packages were diverted. According to the Public Ministry, some of them, around 450 packages, were returned, meaning that the amount owed or the damage caused to the detriment of the Republic ends up amounting to around one and a half million euros.
Bottleneck resolved before Christmas
At the end of last year, the Ministry of Health ordered additional packaging of the medicine, which has become rare. Manufacturer Pfizer was able to immediately deliver the necessary quantities and the bottleneck was resolved before Christmas. At the time, it was said that there were a total of 18 thousand packages that could be accessed in installments.
From February 1, payment will be made via social security, after which Paxlovid will continue to be available like any other medicine upon payment of a prescription, according to the ministry. It is recommended for people at increased risk of severe CoV disease. The prerequisite is a doctor's prescription after a positive test.