US Orders 10 Million Courses of Pfizer Anti-Covid Treatment Pills
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the United States will purchase 10 million courses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 treatment pill, in a $ 5.3 billion deal he called “critical” in fighting the pandemic.
Pfizer applied for emergency use authorization in the US this week for its antiviral pill Paxlovid, which has been shown to be highly effective in preventing hospitalization and death among high-risk patients.
While the deal hinges on approval of the treatment by the Food and Drug Administration, Biden said it had taken “immediate steps to ensure a sufficient supply for the American people.”
“Today, I announce that we have purchased 10 million treatment cycles of Pfizer’s Covid-19 antiviral pill, with delivery from the end of this year through 2022,” he said in a statement, adding that the treatments would be “easy. access and free “.
While emphasizing that widely available vaccines remain America’s “strongest tool” in the fight against Covid-19, Biden said antiviral treatment “could be another critical tool in our arsenal that will accelerate our path out of the pandemic “.
Among newly infected high-risk patients treated within three days of symptom onset, the Pfizer pill has been shown to reduce hospitalization or death by nearly 90 percent.
Pfizer separately announced the $ 5.3 billion deal, subject to regulatory approval, early Thursday morning.
‘Equitable access’
The United States government announced in June that it was investing $ 3 billion to accelerate the discovery, development and manufacture of antiviral drugs.
The United States is also buying 3.1 million courses of an antiviral pill developed by Merck, called Molnupiravir, which is awaiting the green light from the FDA.
Pfizer’s Paxlovid is a combination of a new molecule, PF-07321332, and anti-HIV antiviral ritonavir. They both belong to a class of antivirals called “protease inhibitors,” which block the action of an enzyme critical for viral replication.
A course of treatment consists of one pill every 12 hours for five days.
“We are delighted with the recent results of our Phase 2/3 interim analysis, which showed overwhelming effectiveness of Paxlovid … and we are pleased that the United States government recognizes this potential,” said Pfizer President and CEO, Albert Bourla, in his statement.
“It is encouraging to see a growing understanding of the valuable role that oral investigational therapies can play in the fight against Covid-19, and we look forward to continuing discussions with governments around the world to help ensure broad access for women. people everywhere. “
The pills are easier to prepare than vaccines, do not require a cold chain to administer, and can be self-administered by the patient.
Pfizer has entered into advance purchase agreements for its antiviral pill with several other countries and has initiated a bilateral outreach to approximately 100 countries around the world, declaring itself committed to working on “equitable access” to treatment at an affordable price.
On Tuesday, it announced an agreement with the UN-backed Medicines Patent Fund (MPP) to sub-license production to generic manufacturers for supply in 95 low- and middle-income countries, covering about 53 percent of the world’s population. .
(AFP)
