[Epoch Times, March 28, 2022]At present, Pfizer’s oral drug naimatevir tablet/ritonavir tablet combination package (ie Paxlovid) has been put into use in Zhejiang.
Zhejiang TV reported the above news on March 27. Geneva Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced as early as March 17 that it has signed agreements with 35 companies around the world to allow the generic production of nirmatrelvir, one of the ingredients of Pfizer’s oral drug Paxlovid, or preparation. Among them, there are 5 Chinese companies on the list.
The five Chinese companies on the list are Fosun Pharma, Huahai Pharmaceutical, Puluo Pharmaceutical, Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical and Shanghai Desano. Among them, Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical is authorized to produce APIs, and the other four can produce APIs and preparations at the same time.
Regarding the pricing of this drug, the relevant Chinese pharmaceutical companies did not specify.
In November 2021, MPP and Pfizer signed a voluntary license agreement under the terms of which MPP is licensed by Pfizer to grant non-exclusive sublicenses to other manufacturers.
Pfizer’s oral medicine is priced at 2,300 yuan per box in Zhejiang, which has caused heated discussions on the Internet. Some netizens said: “Pfizer has given up the patent, and the cost is only 100 yuan. You charge 2,300 yuan. If you do this, you can only solve the hatred by going to the street…”, “Don’t you say that it is for the people? Is the conscience different when the epidemic is a business?”
On March 21, the Medical Insurance Bureau of the Communist Party of China issued a notice mentioning that naimatevir tablets/ritonavir tablets were newly added as anti-epidemic drugs.
Previously, on February 12, Pfizer’s oral small-molecule therapeutic drug Paxlovid was urgently approved by the Chinese authorities.
On March 9, Pfizer announced that it has reached a cooperation with Sinopharm, and Sinopharm will be responsible for the combination packaging of Pfizer’s therapeutic drug nematevir tablets/ritonavir tablets (ie Paxlovid) in the Chinese mainland market during the agreement period (2022). Commercial Operation.
On the evening of March 17, 21,200 boxes of imported “Nimatvir tablets/ritonavir tablets” (Paxlovid) were inspected and released by the customs of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone.
Responsible editor: Li Jing#