Pfizer to allow generic versions of its COVID-19 pill in 95 countries
Pfizer Inc announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to allow generic manufacturers to produce its experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill, PF-07321332, in 95 low- and middle-income countries. The UN-backed MPP will be able to grant sub-licenses to qualified generic drug manufacturers to make their own versions of the pill, which Pfizer will sell under the brand name Paxlovid. Pfizer has reported that the pill, when used in combination with the HIV drug ritonavir, has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of severe disease by 89% in its clinical trial.0
