China Allows Online Sales of Pfizer Covid Pill Paxlovid

What’s new: Covid patients in China can now buy U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.’s antiviral drug Paxlovid online after presenting a positive test result.

An online Covid counseling clinic run by Chinese health care company 111 Inc. has begun selling the pill for 2,980 yuan ($427) per box. Chinese medical institutions buy the drug for a flat price of 2,300 yuan per box.

The background: On Monday, the State Council, China’s cabinet, issued a notice allowing medical institutions to prescribe drugs used to treat Covid-related symptoms online.