Pfizer has announced an agreement to supply up to six million treatment courses Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), to the Global Fund for 132 grant-eligible low- and middle-income countries.
The agreement is part of Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), the organisation’s primary channel for providing grant support to low- and middle-income countries to purchase COVID-19 tests, treatments, personal protective equipment and critical elements of ‘health systems strengthening’.
Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer, Pfizer, said: “After so much disruption and loss due to COVID-19, we must continue to accelerate access to Paxlovid as a treatment option for high-risk patients in all regions of the world along with test and treat programmes that help get treatment quickly to those in need.
“This agreement with Global Fund is a critical step that will boost equitable access for high-risk patients in low- and middle-income countries.”
Paxlovid is an orally administered drug that should be given at the first sign of infection for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and paediatric patients – 12 years and older weighing at least 40kg – who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.
The treatment has not been approved, but has been authorised for emergency use by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in December 2021. It has also been approved for emergency use in more than 65 countries.
Pfizer expects supply to be available starting in 2022, pending regulatory authorisation or approval and based on country demand.
Through Global Fund’s framework and mechanism, eligible countries will be offered treatment courses according to Pfizer’s tiered pricing approach which places low- and lower-middle-income countries paying a not-for-profit price and upper-middle-income countries paying the not yet defined price by Pfizer. The company has not disclosed other financial details of the deal.
The agreement with Global Fund is part of the company’s strategy for equitable supply and access of Paxlovid. In line with this, Pfizer is also working with UNICEF to supply 95 low-and-middle-income countries with four million courses of Paxlovid.
The company also outlined its plans to provide product donation and funding to the COVID Treatment Quick Start Consortium, launched on 7 September 2022, to bring new COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments to high-risk populations in ten low- and middle-income countries.