Pfizer has already earned tens of billions with its COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. And now it is reportedly on the verge of striking a major deal to supply its COVID-19 antiviral pill, according to Fierce Pharma.
The Biden administration is expected to reveal plans this week to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer’s COVID pill, called Paxlovid, according to The Washington Post. And this would amount to a roughly $5 billion deal for Pfizer, only if the drug wins the FDA approval.
Pfizer has already started manufacturing Paxlovid. The company said it could have enough to cover 100,000 to 200,000 treatment courses by the end of the year.
This deal is somewhat similar to Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ COVID drug molnupiravir. The drug is currently under review by the FDA. The federal government has agreed to pay more than $2 billion for over 3 million courses of molnupiravir. Interim results have shown that molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50%.
On Tuesday morning, Pfizer announced a licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for global access to Paxlovid.
MPP is a public health organization backed by the United Nations, which will allow the company to sign agreements with other manufacturers to supply more than half of the world’s population with Paxlovid.
The Pfizer-MPP deal sets the stage for sub-licensees to supply the drug to 95 countries, the company said.
Earlier this month, Pfizer announced plans to seek Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Paxlovid after interim results of Phase III data revealed the drug can reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in high-risk individuals.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company is committed to providing scientific breakthroughs to help end the pandemic.
“We must work to ensure that all people, regardless of where they live or their circumstances, have access to these breakthroughs, and we are pleased to be able to work with MPP to further our commitment to equity,” he said.
MPP Executive Director Charles Gore said, “This license is so important because, if authorized or approved, this oral drug is particularly well-suited for low- and middle-income countries and could play a critical role in saving lives, contributing to global efforts to fight the current pandemic.”
He also noted that MPP has a license to manufacture the HIV drug ritonavir, taken in conjunction with Paxlovid.
Gore said in addition to manufacturing the Pfizer antiviral, MPP will be working with generic drug companies to make sure there is a sufficient supply of ritonavir.
