Bangladesh
Pfizer Paxlovid Bangladesh among 95 countries allowed to produce Pfizer's coronavirus medicine
Dhaka, November 17: Pfizer has allowed pharmaceutical companies in 95 countries, including Bangladesh, to produce its coronavirus medicine. The US pharmaceutical giant signed an agreement with the United Nations-backed Group Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) on Tuesday (November 16). As a result, pharmaceutical manufacturers in designated countries are licensed to produce Paxlovid, an antiviral drug made by Pfizer.
Earlier, under a similar agreement with the Geneva-based group MPP, 105 countries, including Bangladesh, were licensed to manufacture the coronary drug Molnupiravir made by Merck.
In addition to low- and lower-middle-income countries, Pfizer said in a statement on Tuesday that 95 upper-middle-income countries in the sub-Saharan region, as well as 95 upper-middle-income countries recognized in the last five years, would be allowed to produce their drugs. .
Under the agreement, Pfizer will not charge for selling coronavirus drugs in poor countries. They are even waiving dividends on drug sales in other countries under the agreement. According to the Pfizer-MPP agreement, as a low-middle income country, Bangladesh has been allowed to produce coronavirus drugs.
Earlier this month, Pfizer reported success with oral medications for Covid-19 patients. The US company has claimed that their drugs have proved to be 89 percent effective in the initial trial.
The results of the trial showed that Pfizer's drug to cure Covid-19 was more effective than its rival Merck's Molnupiravir. Merck's drug is capable of halving the risk of coronavirus disease or hospitalization. Compared to that, the effectiveness of Pfizer's Paxlovid is almost double.
Pfizer's drug could be approved by US policymakers later this year, according to Reuters. They said they would submit the results of the preliminary trial to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before November 25.
