TOKYO - The Japanese government is preparing to destroy about 300 billion yen (US$1.9 billion) worth of unused oral Covid-19 medications it purchased during the pandemic, an estimate based on government data showed on Saturday.
Of the oral drugs procured for 5.6 million people, those for 4.3 million people, or about 77%, remain unused.
The drugmakers have already made the medications available to the public and the government can only provide them in the event of an emergency after the legal status of the disease was downgraded to the same category as seasonal flu in May last year, the health ministry said.
The remaining Xocova tablets produced by Shionogi & Co, Lagevrio capsules made by Merck, and Paxlovid pills manufactured by Pfizer, estimated to be worth 300 billion yen (US$1.93 billion) in total, are expected to be destroyed as they expire.
Ataru Igarashi, a professor at the University of Tokyo with expertise in the economics of pharmaceuticals, said it is difficult to accurately predict the quantity of drugs required when a situation is evolving.
“A shortage of drugs would put people’s health at risk and having too much would result in financial losses,” he said. “We must debate how much of either case we can tolerate before the next infectious disease emerges.”
Japan secured Xocova for 2 million people, Lagevrio for 1.6 million and Paxlovid for 2 million, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The amount paid for the purchases has not been disclosed.
Calculations using publicly available data on the volumes of purchases and shipments showed that Japan still held Xocova for 1.77 million people, Lagevrio for 780,000 and Paxlovid for 1.75 million as of March 31. A course of the drugs was priced at 52,000, 94,000 and 99,000 yen per person, respectively.
While more than half of the purchased Lagevrio capsules were shipped, fewer than half of the Xocova tablets were as government approval for the drug came relatively late in the pandemic. Paxlovid pills have not been used as much as expected as they cannot be taken with certain drugs.
Japan has already disposed of 240 million shots of Covid-19 vaccines after initially signing contracts for the purchase of 930 million shots and later cancelling some. The health ministry has said the destroyed vaccines were worth 665 billion yen ($4.27 billion).