Coronavirus pills – Pfizer allows other companies to make drug

Pfizer said in a statement that the company will license the antiviral pill to the Geneva Medicines Patent Pool. This will enable generic drug companies to produce tablets for use in 95 countries, making them available to about 53% of the world’s population.

“It is very important that we can provide access to a drug that appears to be effective for more than 4 billion people,” said Esteban Burrone, head of the Medicines Patent Pool Policy Department.

According to him, other drug manufacturers will be able to start producing tablets within a few months.

“We are trying to strike a very delicate balance between (the company’s) interests, the sustainability required by the pill makers, and most importantly, the public health needs in low- and middle-income countries,” Berrone said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will not receive royalties for sales in low-income countries and will waive royalties for sales in all countries covered by the agreement.

Doctors Without Borders said they were disappointed that the deal with Pfizer did not make the drug available to the world. For example, the agreement excludes countries such as China, Argentina and Thailand.

“Access to COVID-19 medical instruments must be guaranteed for everyone, everywhere if we truly want to control this pandemic,” said senior adviser to Doctors Without Borders Yuanqiong Hu.

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