Filenews 16 November 2021
Pfizer has reached a licensing agreement that will allow other pharmaceutical companies to produce generics of the anti-Covid-19 pill in cheap versions in 95 countries to serve low and middle income earners.
Pfizer followed Merck's lead and announced in a licensing agreement with the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool to extend low-cost access to its Covid-19 antiviral pill across the developing world.
As the Financial Times notes, the deal marks the first time the U.S. pharmaceutical company has agreed to share the technology behind a Covid-19 medical product, as opposed to its refusal to license its vaccine to generic manufacturers.
The royalties-free deal with the MPP will boost global procurement of Pfizer's anti-viral pill, which reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from the virus by nearly 90 percent in end-stage trials.
Generic manufacturers will now be able to produce the drug before it is approved by regulators to accelerate its supply to low- and middle-income countries, experts said.
"We need to work to ensure that all people – regardless of where they live or their circumstances – have access to these discoveries, and we are happy to work with the MPP to advance our commitment to equality," said Albert Bourla CEO of Pfizer.
Pfizer is under pressure because of its refusal to share the technology behind the Covid-19 vaccine it developed with its German partner BioNTech. It has predicted that sales of the vaccine will reach $36 billion in 2021 and $29 billion in 2022.
