Pfizer Inc. announced this week the company has contracted with UNICEF to supply up to 4 million courses of its COVID-19 antiviral drug, PAXLOVID, which could reach more than half of the world’s population beginning in April.
According to a press release from Pfizer, the oral courses in tablet form will be available to ninety-five low- and middle-income countries as they approve the use of the pills. Pfizer said the countries included account for 53% of the global population.
“We have seen the negative impacts of COVID-19 in every part of the world and know that we must work towards access for all people regardless of where they live or their circumstances,” Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and chief executive officer, stated in the release.
Pfizer detailed the drug’s effectiveness late last year, noting in a release that PAXLOVID “was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared to placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19.”
Late last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the emergency use of PAXLOVID as a treatment for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases in adults and children ages 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds and who may be at higher risk of developing severe cases of the disease that could require hospitalization or result in death.
The U.S. has purchased 10 million courses of Pfizer’s treatment drug to be distributed through 2022. In early March, the Biden administration announced the Test-to-Treat initiative to help high-risk Americans who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 gain access to oral treatments, including PAXLOVID, quickly and at no cost.
Earlier this month, MarketWatch reported that Pfizer had begun a Phase 2/3 study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of PAXLOVID in pediatric patients who are at risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
Pfizer did not disclose the financial details of the agreement with UNICEF in the release but noted that all low- and lower-middle-income countries will be offered the courses at cost for the drug. In contrast, upper-middle-income countries will be charged more according to Pfizer’s tiered pricing, which is based on income level for each country, the release states.
According to a report last year by CNBC, Pfizer allowed generic drug manufacturers to produce PAXLOVID for distribution to the countries.
“Supplying to UNICEF is an important part of our comprehensive strategy to accelerate access to PAXLOVID to treat COVID-19 infection as quickly as possible and at an affordable price in order to decrease the strain on healthcare systems and help save lives in low- and middle-income countries,” Bourla said in the release.