State medical insurance to cover Pfizer's Paxlovid until March 31

The fact that Pfizer's antiviral drug Paxlovid is not included on the reimbursement list covered by the national insurance system will not affect the nation's drug use to fight COVID-19, an official said on Wednesday.

Huang Xinyu, an official with the National Healthcare Security Administration, said China attaches great importance to the supply of COVID-19 medicines.

While Paxlovid didn't make it on the reimbursement list, the drug will still be covered by State medical insurance until March 31, he said.

The reimbursement list also includes over 600 types of medicine for cold and fever, meaning patients would still have a wide variety of other drugs to choose from, Huang said.

Meanwhile, the administration has been paying close attention to drug development. Huang said it would continue to monitor and manage the prices of COVID-19 medicines and alleviate patients' financial pressures.