Pfizer’s new COVID-19 treatment came with a catch when it debuted late last year: It can take months to make the tablets
In this photo provided by Pfizer, a lab technician visually inspects Paxlovid tablet samples in Freiburg, Germany in December 2021. Studies showed that the first pill to treat the virus led to a nearly 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease.
Pfizer Chief Global Supply Officer Mike McDermott says there is “an ample amount" of Paxlovid available for high-risk patients who need it. The initial building blocks can take up to three months to make. Some chemical reactions need days to develop at a controlled temperature and pressure. The drugmaker is adding more manufacturing and packaging sites. It will try to cut production time further, as long as it can do so without affecting quality.
The drugmaker spent about $1 billion to get that head start, said Paul Duffy, a vice president with Pfizer Global Supply.Yes. McDermott said Pfizer expects to make 30 million patient packs by the middle of the year and 120 million by the end of 2022.Outside those totals, Pfizer is letting some generic drugmakers produce Paxlovid in a deal with the public health organization Medicines Patent Pool. That's expected to boost supply, especially for low-income countries.
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