The WHO strongly recommended this Friday, April 22, the antiviral paxlovid from the American pharmaceutical group Pfizer for patients with less severe forms of Covid-19 and “at higher risk of hospitalization”. But similar to what happened with the Covid vaccines, the World Health Organization“is very worried” less wealthy countries are once again having difficulty accessing this medicine.
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For WHO experts, the nirmatrelvir/ritonavir combination “is the drug of choice” for unvaccinated, elderly, or immunocompromised patients, according to an article in the British Journal of Medicine. For this same type of patients and symptoms, the WHO has also issued a “weak recommendation” for remdesivir from the American laboratory Gilead, which she had advised against until then.
prevent people from dying
Paxlovid should be preferred over Merck’s molnupiravir or remdesivir as well as monoclonal antibodies, says the organization, which continues to campaign for vaccination. “It is crucial to prevent people from developing a serious form of the disease, from dying. And vaccination is a key intervention for prevention.”insists Dr. Janet Diaz, head of the WHO clinical team in charge of the response to Covid-19.
This recommendation applies to people aged 18 and under and does not apply to pregnant and breastfeeding women. It also does not apply to patients who are at low risk of complications because the positive effects are minimal. The experts also declined to give an opinion regarding patients with a severe form of the disease due to lack of data.
Generics ten times cheaper
The WHO calls on Pfizer to be more transparent about the costs and availability of these products. According to some sources, the price of a complete treatment of paxlovid in the United States could reach 530 dollars (about 490 €), recalls Dr. Lisa Hedman, in charge of access to medicines at the WHO. The price could be around €230 in other middle income countries.
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For remdesivir, the cost per ampoule is $520 (about €480), Lisa Hedman explained, but about $50 to $60 for generic forms made in India.
Pfizer accused of depriving less wealthy countries of vaccines
In mid-April, Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, predicted a bright future for treatments like paxlovid because the disease is becoming endemic, but also because of a certain vaccine fatigue.
Accused, like its competitors, of having deprived the less wealthy countries of its messenger RNA vaccine to serve high-income countries, Pfizer has concluded licensing agreements under the aegis of the United Nations, making it possible to manufacture a generic version cheaper than paxlovid. But the WHO “highly recommend” Pfizer to go further with more transparent prices and contracts and to facilitate the production of the generic version of its drug.