The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has signed a memorandum of understanding with Pfizer for access to Paxlovid, the company’s antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19. This memorandum will give African nations access to the pill at cost, said Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, acting director of Africa CDC, during a press briefing Thursday.
In April, the World Health Organization recommended the use of Paxlovid for patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 calling it the “best therapeutic choice for high-risk patients to date.” Two randomized controlled trials found that the pill led to an 85% reduction in the risk of hospitalization.
Distribution by the African Union: How these pills will be distributed among countries is yet to be decided, Ouma said, but the AU will need to assess demand by countries for the pill, and health workers will also need to be trained on how to prescribe it.
The AU has served as a vehicle in providing access to African nations to COVID-19 countermeasures through pooled procurement, such as providing a platform for countries to purchase COVID-19 vaccines.
Pfizer’s efforts: While there has been concern over availability of the pill in low- and middle-income countries, Pfizer has made a number of efforts to expand access. The company has shipped over 12 million treatment courses to nearly 40 countries. Pfizer has a licensing deal with the Medicines Patent Pool that allows a generic version of the drug to be produced and sold in 95 LMICs; it signed a letter of intent with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for up to 6 million treatment courses and an agreement with UNICEF for up to 4 million courses. The Clinton Health Access Initiative also launched an initiative to make generic versions of the drug available at $25 per course.