STAT+: Pfizer inks deal with UNICEF to supply Covid pill to poor countries, but advocates say it isn’t enough
As part of an effort to widen access to its Covid-19 pill, Pfizer has reached a deal with UNICEF to supply up to 4 million treatment courses to 95 low- and middle-income countries representing 53% of the global population. But consumer advocates have quickly argued the move falls short.
The agreement follows an agreement the company reached last November with the Medicines Patent Pool, a public health organization backed by the United Nations, to supply its Paxlovid pill to the same 95 countries. The arrangement calls for the MPP to sub-license production rights to generic companies to then manufacture and distribute their own versions at lower prices than the Pfizer pill.
