Pricing limits could lead the companies producing COVID-19 drugs to walk away, according to Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Fauci discouraged the federal government from forcing drugmakers to lower the costs of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at BIO Digital, a virtual convention held on June 8. However, he recognized that the pandemic has widely affected regions that cannot afford expensive interventions. He encouraged the government to advocate for fair pricing, but to be wary about passing legislation that would impose price ceilings.
"One thing that is clear is that if you try to enforce things on a company that has multiple, different opportunities to do different things, they will walk away," Dr. Fauci said at BIO Digital. "I’ve never seen a successful attempt at doing controls."
Dr. Fauci's comments come as multiple drug pricing plan proposals have been introduced to Congress, most notably from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.