Pfizer Inc. [NYSE: PFE] disclosed that it has inked an additional agreement with the UK government to supply an additional 2.5 million treatment options of its investigational candidate PAXLOVID. This is in addition to the 250,000 treatment courses earlier committed to the UK Government. The full amount of treatment courses reached 2.75 million.
Pfizer is striving toward fair access to PAXLOVID for all people. It is striving to provide well-tolerated and effective antiviral therapeutics as soon as possible and at a cheaper price. Pfizer will offer its oral antiviral therapy through a tiered pricing approach based on the income level of each country in order to foster fair access across the globe if permitted, during the pandemic.
Furthermore, PAXLOVID is a SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor antiviral treatment that is still being studied. It was designed to be taken orally so that, if authorized or accepted, it can be recommended at the first sign of infection, potentially helping patients avoid severe illness or disease development after contact with COVID-19-infected family members.
In addition, Pfizer is making investments of up to $1 billion in PAXLOVID manufacture and distribution, including investigating potential contract manufacturing options. It has signed agreements with a number of countries and begun bilateral marketing to more than 100 countries throughout the world.
Moreover, Pfizer has inked a voluntary license agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for its oral antiviral treatment to help expand access in 95 low- and middle-income countries that represent approximately 53% of the world’s population, awaiting country regulatory permission.
