New Coronavirus Vaccine Pricing Needs to Respect the Market and Take into Account People's Livelihood

How to ensure both corporate profits and the publicity and inclusiveness of the new coronavirus vaccine requires early planning and rational deployment at the policy level.

Vaccines are the 'killer' to defeat the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, and people have been looking forward to it. News in these days saying that the vaccine is expected to be launched by the end of the year has inspired many people. In addition, people are also very concerned about prices. Heated discussions have been aroused in the field of public opinion.

When breakthroughs are made in the research and development of the new coronavirus vaccine, it should be the best time to make advance arrangements around vaccine prices and cost sharing. Full discussion in the public opinion field will also help clarify people's cognition or misunderstanding about vaccine pricing, and promote the rationalization of vaccine pricing.

Judging from the public opinion field, the price of vaccine could always be exceeded some people's expectations and believed that the price is too high. For ordinary families, especially for poor families, this is not a small expenditure, which will cause certain pressure on the family’s economy.

Although, from the perspective of vaccine manufacturers, the corresponding prices for injecting vaccines are in line with market rules. However, in view of the particularity of the new coronavirus vaccine, discussing the vaccine price will not only return to the original pricing mechanism of the vaccine, but also adhering to the perspective of people's livelihood, taking into account the universal benefit of vaccines to the public.

As a vaccine that is not included in the insurance coverage plan, under normal circumstances, the new coronavirus vaccine should belong to the medicine that the patients have to pay in full. In terms of price management, the second type of vaccine complies with the national pricing rules for drugs, that is, the price is set by combining cost and profit margin.

However, we must also see that the current COVID-19 vaccine is being developed simultaneously in five areas, and the country has made a unified investment. Not only must this part of the cost be deducted, but also that the country’s investment has essentially given the COVID-19 vaccine a higher public attribute. It is impossible to price the new coronavirus vaccine based on pure market rules. What's more, this is a vaccine that is closely related to the interests of all people in a country, and the acceptance and accessibility of most people must be considered.

It should be recognized that the injection of the new coronavirus vaccine is the same as the implementation of other epidemic prevention measures, which is both a personal responsibility and a social responsibility. The poor cooperation between individuals and society will affect not only individuals, but also the epidemic prevention and control situation of the entire society.

Previously, the reason why some insurance companies exempted patients with new coronavirus pneumonia from medical expenses, in addition to reflecting the concept of taking into account the people's livelihood, was also related to sharing the responsibility for epidemic prevention. If the price of the new coronavirus vaccine is too high, to some extent, it will also increase the personal responsibility for epidemic prevention.

On the whole, corporate interests need to be protected, market pricing rules need to be respected, but the burden of the people cannot be ignored, and the pain points of people's livelihood need to be considered. In particular, it is necessary to bear in mind that all kinds of vaccines are for the prevention of epidemic in the whole society. It is not only related to individuals and enterprises, but also closely tied to social interests.

Therefore, how to not only ensure the benefits of enterprises, but also ensure the publicity and inclusiveness of the new coronavirus vaccine, and how to delineate the benefit-sharing mechanism requires early planning and reasonable layout at the policy level.

Considering the inclusiveness of the new coronavirus vaccine in the insurance protection, whether or how to subsidize or reduce or exempt the new coronavirus vaccine for the public may be considered to ensure that the final injection fee is acceptable to everyone and the public can afford it. .

All in all, discussing the pricing of the new coronavirus vaccine should not only be emotional, but also give full consideration to the public's price acceptability, so that the public can use the vaccine as soon as possible. In this process, relevant government agencies must coordinate. In the end, through the efforts of all parties to achieve a balance between corporate interests and public interests, the vaccine can give full play to its role in epidemic prevention and control, and benefit the people of the country.