As the FDA looks to make Pfizer’s Covid-19 antiviral more accessible in the US, Africa’s CDC has reportedly struck an agreement with the pharma giant to increase supplies across the continent.
The health agency has reached a memorandum of understanding with Pfizer which will allow African countries to access Paxlovid at cost, according to a Reuters report.
The news comes just a few months after researchers with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative reported that they were denied access to Paxlovid for use in a large study in 10 African countries in a variety of settings and in some combinations with other therapies. Pfizer allegedly told the researchers that it already had plans to conduct similar trials, according to a Nature report.
In unvaccinated adults, Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by nearly 90%, according to a December readout. However, the benefit was less evident in patients who have already been vaccinated or are at a lower risk. In one subgroup analysis, for example, Paxlovid showed a 57% reduction in hospitalizations and death for vaccinated patients with at least one risk factor for severe Covid — however, the difference was not statistically significant.
“As the pandemic continues to evolve, we believe PAXLOVID remains a critical option to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg), with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death,” a Pfizer spokesperson said on Thursday.
