Davos: The US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has said it would sell its patented drugs on a not-for-profit basis to the world’s poorest countries.
The drugmaker announced the program at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, and said it was aimed at improving health equity in 45 lower-income countries. Most of the countries are in Africa, but the list also includes Haiti, Syria, Cambodia and North Korea.
“The time is now to begin closing this gap” between people with access to the latest treatments and those going without, chief executive Albert Bourla told attendees at the Swiss mountain resort.
“What we discovered through the pandemic was that supply was not enough to resolve the issues that these countries are having,” Bourla said.
New York-based Pfizer will charge only manufacturing costs and “minimal” distribution expenses, Eisele said. It will comply with any sanctions and all other applicable laws.
The drugmaker also plans to provide help with public education, training for health care providers and drug supply management.
He noted that billions of doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, have been offered for free to low-income countries, mainly through the US government, but those doses cannot be used right now.
“An Accord for a Healthier World” focuses on five areas: infectious diseases, cancer, inflammation, rare diseases and women’s health – where Pfizer currently holds 23 patents, including the likes of Comirnaty and Paxlovid, its COVID vaccine and oral treatment.
