Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has decided to let companies in 95 nations manufacture its COVID-19 treatment pill ‘Paxlovid.’ The generic drug manufactured by other companies will carry different names.
Pfizer will grant the license to the United Nations-backed public health organization ‘Medicines Patent Pool,’ which will offer a sublicense to the manufacturers. Pfizer has not given such a concession for its vaccine so far.
Earlier, Merck has offered the formula for its COVID-19 treatment pill ‘Molnupiravir,’ allowing access for 105 countries.
How does it work?
According to Pfizer, the tablet is a specifically designed SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease inhibitor.
The pill will block an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to make copies of itself, thus effectively containing the virus.
Pfizer’s treatment is a five-day course of 30 tablets. Ten of those pills are ritonavir, an HIV drug, which will enable Pfizer’s pill to remain active in the body for a longer duration.
Pfizer’s tablet was found to be effective in preventing severe disease in unvaccinated people. It has reduced hospitalizations and fatalities by 89 percent if given within three days of the onset of the symptoms.
The cost?
Pfizer has applied for emergency use authorization for ‘Paxlovid’ in the US. While it will cost the developed nations hundreds of dollars per treatment, it will be far cheaper in the 95 developing nations because of the company’s deal with the Medicines Patent Pool.
China and Russia were excluded from the deal.