Pfizer to supply 6 million Paxlovid treatments to Global Fund
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Pfizer will supply up to six million Paxlovid treatments to the Global Fund in an effort toward equitable access to COVID-19 oral treatments, the company announced Thursday.
The big picture: Some 132 countries will have access to the antiviral pill based on "income classification and disease burden" through the Global Fund, which connects governments, health organizations and the private sector to help low-income countries treat and prevent disease.
Details: Pfizer says it expects supply to be available sometime this year based on country needs and allocations determined by Global Fund.
- Eligible countries will be offered treatment courses according to Pfizer’s tiered pricing approach, in which all low- and lower-middle-income countries will pay a not-for-profit price, the company said.
- Upper-middle-income countries will pay a price defined in the tiered pricing approach. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.
What they're saying: "After so much disruption and loss due to COVID-19, we must continue to accelerate access to PAXLOVID as a safe and effective treatment option for high-risk patients in all regions of the world along with test and treat programs that help get treatment quickly to those in need," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
Yes but: While Paxlovid has been effective at keeping older, sicker people out of the hospital with COVID, questions linger about its effectiveness in younger age groups and the rebound observed in some patients who take it, Axios' Arielle Dreher reports.
State of play: The CDC recommends Paxlovid for those over the age of 50, and for those with medical conditions like lung or heart disease.
- The drug's emergency authorization, however, covers anyone 12 or older.
Go deeper: "Game-changer" Paxlovid turns into pandemic enigma
