Pfizer, Merck COVID-19 Pills US Launch In This Month; Other Countries Will Have to Wait: WSJ

In a race with Merck & Co Inc MRK to get antivirals to market, Pfizer Inc PFE CEO Albert Bourla told the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council that he expects its antiviral pill will hit the U.S. market before the end of this month.

• Data from Pfizer’s pill, Paxlovid, showed an 89% reduction in COVID- 19 related hospitalization or deaths in an interim analysis compared to placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset. 
• Pfizer also previously said the U.S. would pay $5.29 billion for 10 million courses of the treatment.
• Merck, meanwhile, narrowly won the backing of an FDA AdComm as panelists centered their questioning on the Merck pill’s efficacy and the cause of this drop-off in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, from 50% to 30%.
• Most of the supply deals publicly announced have been for rich countries.
• Public-health experts have expressed concern that the pills will arrive months later in emerging countries and delay treating people.
• Generic versions of Pfizer’s pill won’t come to low- and lower-middle-income countries until at least mid-2022, said Charles Gore, the Medicines Patent Pool executive director.
• Adding to the challenges, most low-income countries lack adequate testing and diagnostic tools to identify patients early enough for the treatments to help.
• The WHO said that the ACT-Accelerator, will need $3.5 billion from donors to help supply COVID-19 therapeutics until next September. So far, it has received $39 million.
• Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.34% at $51.31, MRK shares are down 1.87% at $72.05 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.