Covid-19: United States orders 10 million Pfizer antiviral treatments

A highly anticipated antiviral treatment to cope with the pandemic. The US government has ordered the Pfizer laboratory for 10 million treatments of its anti-Covid pill for $ 5.29 billion (4.66 billion euros), subject to the drug receiving the green light from health authorities, according to reports. press releases Thursday, November 18. Deliveries will begin by the end of the year and in 2022.

Antivirals work by reducing the ability of a virus to replicate, thereby slowing down the disease. They represent a key complement to vaccines to protect against Covid-19. The pharmaceutical company, which already markets a vaccine against the virus in collaboration with BioNTech, filed at the beginning of the week with the United States Medicines Agency (FDA) an emergency authorization request for this treatment, which can easily be taken. at home in the first days after the onset of symptoms in case of infection.

The treatment, which will be marketed as Paxlovid, has been shown to be 89% effective against hospital admissions and death in clinical trials when taken within three days of symptom onset. These trials were conducted by the company on people at high risk of developing a severe case of Covid-19.

” A lifeline “

“Getting vaccinated remains the most important action you can take to protect yourself and others and put an end to this pandemic”, underlined the American Minister of Health, Xavier Becerra, in a press release. “But for people who get sick and are at risk of serious consequences, having pills they can take to avoid going to hospital could be a lifeline.”, he added.

“The price paid by the US government reflects the high volume of treatments purchased”, underlines Pfizer in its own press release, indicating that it has engaged in discussions with other states. The group is already benefiting greatly from sales of its anti-Covid vaccine, which enabled it to double its turnover in the third quarter, to 24.1 billion dollars (21.24 billion euros), and to multiply its net profit by five over the period, to $ 8.15 billion (€ 7.18 billion).

The American laboratory Merck has also developed an antiviral treatment, Molnupiravir, authorized in early November in a first country, the United Kingdom. An FDA committee is due to meet on November 30 to decide on the application for authorization of Merck’s treatment in the United States. Washington has already purchased 3.1 million treatments from Merck. France has also ordered 50,000.

Pfizer agreed on Tuesday to enter into a voluntary licensing agreement with Unitaid’s Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) “drug patent pool” which will allow generic manufacturers to produce the drug for supply to 95 middle-income and lower-income countries representing approximately 53% of the world’s population. Merck has entered into a similar pact with the MPP for its own oral anti-Covid. On Wall Street, the Pfizer share appreciated 0.71% in electronic exchanges before the opening of the stock market.