Lima, 10/05/2022 07:59 p.m.
The CEO of the World Health OrganizationTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, asked Pfizer to expand the availability of your anti-cancer drug COVID-19 in poorer countries, claiming that the pharmaceutical agreement that allows generic producers to manufacture the drug is insufficient.
The WHO director also told a news conference that Pfizer’s drug was still too expensive. He commented that most Latin American countries did not have access to the drug Paxlovidwhich has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by up to 90%.
“We remain concerned that low- and middle-income countries continue to lack access to antivirals”Tedros said.
He warned that the unequal distribution of drugs against COVID-19 could be similar to the highly disproportionate distribution of vaccines against this virus
For example, while countries like Britain have vaccinated more than 70% of their population, less than 16% of the inhabitants of poor countries have received a single dose.
Pfizer signed an agreement in November with the Medicines Patent Poolbacked by the ONU, to allow other drugmakers to make generic copies of its pill, for use in 95 nations. Some of the most populous countries that suffered devastating outbreaks of COVID-19, such as Brazil, were not included.
Tedros said the deal is not enough, calling on Pfizer to lift its geographic restrictions on where the generic version of Paxlovid can be used, as well as make the drug less expensive for developing countries.
USA he paid about $500 for each course of the Pfizer treatment, which consists of three pills taken twice a day for five days. Pricing in developing countries is yet to be confirmed.
The scientific director of the WHO, Dr. Soumya Swaminathansaid most of Pfizer’s global supply of the drug had already been booked by rich countries, similar to how they hoarded most of last year’s COVID-19 vaccines.
He praised Pfizer’s agreement to let other drugmakers make its drug, but said production won’t start until next year.
Swaminathan also called on Pfizer to drop the requirement that some developing countries take product responsibility in the event of a problem after it has been distributed.