Pfizer CEO rules out generic COVID drug Paxlovid for China

Pfizer Inc. isn’t in talks with Chinese language authorities to license a generic model of its COVID-19 therapy Paxlovid for use there, however is in discussions about a worth for the branded product, Chief Government Albert Bourla stated on Monday.

Reuters reported on Friday that China was in talks with Pfizer to safe a license that can enable home drugmakers to fabricate and distribute a generic model of the U.S. agency’s COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid in China.

Referring to that report, Mr. Bourla talking at J.P. Morgan’s healthcare convention in San Francisco, stated “We are not in discussions. We have an agreement already for local manufacturing of Paxlovid in China. So we have a local partner that will make Paxlovid for us, and then we will sell it to the Chinese market.”

Mr. Bourla stated the corporate had shipped 1000’s of programs of the therapy in 2022 to China and prior to now couple of weeks, had elevated that to hundreds of thousands.

On Sunday, China‘s Healthcare Safety Administration (NHSA) stated that the country would not include Paxlovid in an replace to its record of medicines lined by fundamental medical insurance coverage schemes because the US. agency quoted a excessive worth for the COVID-19 drug.

The drug is presently lined by China‘s broad healthcare insurance coverage scheme beneath short-term measures till the tip of March.

Mr. Bourla stated that talks with China on future pricing for the therapy had damaged off after China had requested for a cheaper price than Pfizer is charging for most decrease center revenue international locations.

“They are the second highest economy in the world and I don’t think that they should pay less than El Salvador,” Mr. Bourla stated.

Infections have spiraled since China pivoted away from its strict “zero COVID” coverage final month, prompting a scarcity of flu medicines and COVID drugs.

A field of Paxlovid, used for a single course of therapy, is altering arms for as a lot as 50,000 yuan ($7,313), based on native media experiences and social media posts, greater than 20 occasions the unique worth of round 2,000 yuan.

The failure of the talks to incorporate Pfizer within the record of medicines lined by fundamental state medical insurance generated heated discussions on Chinese language social media on Monday.

Some Chinese language media reported that Pfizer had lowered the value of Paxlovid to 600 yuan within the negotiations, triggering a wave of criticism and questions on social media as to why Chinese language regulators had not accepted that worth.

A separate report by monetary journal Caixin on Monday cited unnamed sources as saying that Pfizer had not lowered its worth considerably past the 1,890 yuan it presently costs Chinese language hospitals.

Pfizer declined to touch upon the Chinese language media experiences about the value it quoted throughout the negotiations. NHSA didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for touch upon the negotiations.

China‘s state media International Occasions accused Pfizer of making an attempt to profiteer from China‘s COVID battle in an opinion piece on Monday.

“It is not a secret that US capital forces have already accumulated quite a fortune from the world via selling vaccines and drugs, and the US government has been coordinating all along. There is no so-called human right, but monopoly,” it stated.

“If they do care about it (epidemic in China), why don’t Pfizer drop some pursuit of the profit, and cooperate with China with a little more sincerity?”

Mr. Bourla stated the elimination from the record wouldn’t affect the corporate’s enterprise there till April and the corporate might find yourself promoting solely to the non-public market in China.

Pfizer signed a deal in August for Chinese language drugmaker Zhejiang Huahai to supply Paxlovid in mainland China solely for sufferers there.

Mr. Bourla stated manufacturing is gearing up in China and progress has been made that will enable it to start out manufacturing within the first half of the 12 months, forward of its year-end inside estimate. – Reuters

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