The Senate’s top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Thursday that the pharmaceutical giant had reached a settlement with the government over its treatment of some of its patients with a form of a deadly coronavirus called Pneumovirus-19.
Pfizer is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, which makes the injectable drug Temazepam.
The drug, which costs $1,000 a pill, is available over-the-counter in the United States.
In a statement, the company said the deal “provides Pfizer and the Department of Health and Human Services with an additional $20 million in funding to address the pandemic and protect the public from the potential for severe adverse events.”
Wyden, a member of the Homeland Safety and Government Affairs Committee’s intelligence subcommittee, said the settlement was the largest ever for a drugmaker.
He said that Pneumavirus-17, a form that can cause severe illness, is a significant health risk to millions of Americans.
Pebola’s drug deal with US government The deal with Pfizer, a subsidiary, is the largest of its kind.
It includes $1.8 billion for research and development, including $1 billion for Pfizer to develop a new generation of Pneumivirus vaccines.
PepsiCo also agreed to buy two-thirds of the company, and to pay up to $6 billion in tax, and a $1 million fine, for its part in the Pfizer deal.
The deal with Health and Homeland Security includes $500 million in direct payments for health-care workers and other health-related activities.
In return, Health and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has agreed to provide $2.5 billion to Pfizer in order to reduce the costs of the Pneumvirus-18 vaccine.
The Department of Labor also has agreed in principle to provide a rebate to employers that have health care workers with Pneumravirus-1, a variant of the coronaviruses.
The deal was not disclosed Thursday, but it includes a rebate for the PPA, the trade name for the Pfizers drug.
