U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Wednesday said it would sell its patented drugs in a non-profit way to the world’s poorest countries, as part of a new plan announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos the gap “between people who can afford the latest treatments and those who go outside,” chief executive Albert Bourla told attendees of the Swiss special assembly day.
Patented Pfizer drugs
The “Healthy Covenant” focuses on five areas: infectious diseases, cancer, inflammation, rare diseases and women’s health – where Pfizer currently owns 23 patents, including the likes of Comirnaty and Paxlovid, its COVID-19 target and oral treatment. “These reform commitments will increase access to patented Pfizer drugs and vaccines available in the United States and the European Union to approximately 1.2 billion people,” Angela Hwang, president of the Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group, told AFP.
Five countries: Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda are committed to joining, and 40 other countries – 27 low-income and 18 low-income – are eligible to sign bilateral agreements.”Pfizer’s commitment sets a new standard, which we hope will be followed by other people,” said Rwandan President Paul Kagame but he added that “increased investment and strengthening of African health systems and drug regulators” would also be needed.
Developing countries face 70 percent of the world’s disease burden but only receive 15 percent of global health spending, leading to devastating consequences. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 13 children dies before their fifth birthday, compared with 1 in 199 in high-income countries. Cancer-related mortality rates are also high in low- and middle-income countries.
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