China is in talks with Pfizer Inc to secure a licence that will allow domestic drugmakers to manufacture and distribute a generic version of the US firm's Covid-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid in China, three sources told Reuters.
China's medical products regulator - the National Medical Products Administration - has been leading the talks with Pfizer since late last month, one of the sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Paxlovid, found to have reduced hospitalisations in high-risk patients by around 90% in a clinical trial, is in high demand with many Chinese attempting to get the drug abroad and have it shipped to China. Beijing has been largely resistant to western vaccines and treatments. Oral treatment Paxlovid is one of the few foreign ones it has approved.
A Pfizer spokesperson said the company is actively collaborating with Chinese authorities and all stakeholders to secure an adequate supply of Paxlovid in China.The NMPA held a meeting with several Chinese drugmakers in late December to discuss preparations needed to make a generic version of Paxlovid hoping it would be able to secure the licence in the near future, two of the sources said.
For a generic drug to be deemed equivalent to a branded medicine, such tests are required to make sure they work the same way in the body. The MPP licensing arrangement is royalty free for Pfizer, while Covid-19 remains classified as a"Public Health Emergency of International Concern" by the World Health Organisation .
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