London, November 16 (U.S.): Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. A deal with a United Nations-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make experimental COVID-19 pills, a move that could make the treatment available to more than half of patients. world population.
In a statement on Tuesday, Pfizer said it would grant a license to the antiviral pills to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent Group, which would allow generic drug companies to produce the pill for use in 95 countries, which make up about 53% of the world’s population. .
Health officials said the fact that the deal was struck even before Pfizer’s birth control pills were approved anywhere, could help end the pandemic faster, according to an AP report.
“It is very important that we will be able to provide access to a drug that appears to be effective and has just been developed, to more than 4 billion people,” said Esteban Boroni, Head of Policy at the Medicines Patent Pool.
He estimated that other drug companies would be able to start producing the pill within months, but acknowledged that the agreement would not satisfy everyone.
“We are trying to strike a very delicate balance between (the company’s) interests, the sustainability required by generic producers, and most importantly, the public health needs of low- and middle-income countries,” Boroni said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will not receive royalties on sales in low-income countries and will waive royalties on sales in all countries covered by the agreement while COVID-19 remains a public health emergency.
Earlier this month, Pfizer said its pills reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by about 90% in people with mild to moderate infection with the coronavirus. Independent experts recommended stopping the study of the company based on its promising results.
Pfizer said it will ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators to allow birth control pills to be taken as soon as possible.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, researchers around the world have raced to develop a pill for COVID-19 that can be taken at home easily to relieve symptoms, speed recovery and keep people out of the hospital. Currently, most COVID-19 treatments must be given intravenously or by injection.
Britain allowed Merck’s COVID-19 pills to be taken earlier this month, and it is awaiting approval elsewhere. In a similar deal with a drug patent pool announced in October, Merck agreed to allow other drug companies to produce its COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir, in 105 poor countries.
insult