Pharmaceutical Pfizer has signed an agreement with a UN-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental VOID-19 pill, a move that could make the treatment available to more than half of the world's population.
The company said in a statement Tuesday that it would grant a license for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent Pool,
which would allow generic drug companies to produce the pill for use in 95 countries,
representing about 53% of the world's population.
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The deal excludes some large countries that have suffered devastating coronavirus outbreaks.
For example, although a Brazilian pharmaceutical company could obtain a license to manufacture the pill for export to other countries, the drug could not be manufactured generically for use in Brazil.
Still, health officials said the fact that the deal was reached even before the Pfizer pill was licensed anywhere could help end the pandemic more quickly.
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"It is quite significant that we can give access to a drug that appears to be effective, and that has just been developed, to more than 4,000 million people," said Esteban Burrone, head of policy at the Medicines Patent Pool.
Burrone estimated that other drug makers could start producing the pill in a few months, but acknowledged that the deal would not please everyone.
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"We try to strike a very delicate balance between the interests of the (company), the sustainability that generic producers require and, most importantly, the public health needs in low- and middle-income countries," he said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will not receive royalties for sales in low-income countries and will waive royalties for sales in all countries covered by the agreement as long as COVID-19 remains a public health emergency.
Earlier this month, Pfizer claimed that its pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in people with mild to moderate coronavirus infections.
Independent experts recommended stopping the study of the company based on its promising results.
The drugmaker said it would ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory bodies to authorize the pill as soon as possible.
The UK authorized Merck's COVID-19 pill earlier this month, and it is pending approval in other countries.
In a similar agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool, announced in October, Merck agreed to allow other drug makers to make its COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir, available to 105 poorer countries.
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The NGO Doctors Without Borders was "disheartened" by the fact that the agreement with Pfizer does not make the drug available to everyone and noted that the agreement announced on Tuesday also excludes countries such as China, Argentina and Thailand.
"The world knows by now that access to COVID-19 medical tools must be guaranteed for everyone, everywhere, if we really want to control this pandemic," said Yuanqiong Hu, Senior Legal Policy Adviser at Doctors Without Borders.
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The decision by Pfizer and Merck to share patents on their COVID-19 drugs stands in contrast to the refusal by Pfizer and other vaccine manufacturers to disclose their prescriptions to ensure wider production.
Less than 1% of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines have gone to the poorest countries.