Pfizer spied on rival Merck and agreed Licensing dealing with the United Nations-supported Drug Patent Group to expand low-cost access to Covid-19 antiretroviral drugs around the developing world.
The deal marks the first time the US pharmaceutical company has agreed to share the technology behind a Medical products Covid-19, as opposed to their refusal to license their vaccines to generic manufacturers.
royalty-free deal with MPP will boost Pfizer’s global supply antiretroviral drugs, which reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from the virus by nearly 90% in late-stage trials.
Generic drug makers can now produce the drug before it is approved by regulators to speed it up to low- and middle-income countries, experts say.
“We have to work to make sure that everyone – no matter where they live or their circumstances – can access these breakthroughs, and we are excited to work with MPP to continue. committed to equity,” said Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, on Tuesday.
Pfizer has arrived bearing AP force about refusing to share the technology behind the Covid-19 vaccine it has developed with German partner BioNTech. It forecasts jab sales to hit $36 billion in 2021 and $29 billion in 2022.
Health officials say the company’s opposition to sharing intellectual property has contributed to vaccine shortages in low- and middle-income countries, with only 7% of Africans receiving coverage. fully vaccinated.
Pfizer and BioNTech oppose Biden administration-supported efforts to waive IP rights to Covid-19 vaccines, warning third-party manufacturers could make manufacturing mistakes that undermine trust. general public. They are instead focusing on boosting their own production, selling jabs at lower prices in developing countries and in the case of BioNTech announcing plans to build a factory in Africa.
“Unlike our oral antiviral, which is a small chemical molecule, high-quality vaccines are large biomolecules that require biomanufacturing,” a Pfizer spokesperson said. Consistency. “It’s an incredibly complicated process in any case, and even more so in the process epidemic. ”
Nancy Jecker, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, said Merck’s example raised the threshold for Pfizer, making it harder for the company to work with its own antiviral.
“That’s a good thing. Smart companies will realize that socially responsible behavior will help their competitive advantage and their relationships with stakeholders in the long-term,” she said. with the Financial Times.
Last month Charles Gore, chief executive officer of the MPP, told the FT that he was disappointed that Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers had not engaged fully with the organization to see if they could overcome the difficulties in this regard. technology sharing or not.
He said the new licensing agreement with Pfizer for the antiviral drug is important because the drug is particularly suitable for use in low- and middle-income countries. Doctors have until now relied on expensive and unwieldy monoclonal antibody and remdesivir antiviral treatments, which often require fluids.
Widespread access to reliable tests is also important for successful deployment of oral antivirals, as they are more effective in the early stages of infection.
MPP was established to help deliver HIV/Aids treatments. Last year, it expanded its mandate to include treatments for Covid-19 and began liaising with companies to try to license the drugs and collect intellectual property.
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