China allows sale of Pfizer oral drug as demand surges in wake of rising Covid cases
Sale of Paxlovid pill in mainland China
To combat a surge in Covid cases, China has given nod for the sale of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, in the mainland.
It comes after Beijing decided to move away from its stringent ‘zero-Covid’ policy in the wake of protests.
Even though the official number of cases is less, long queues have been witnessed outside fever clinics, keeping the authorities on their toes.
Anticipating fresh Covid waves, the government has been pacing itself to vaccinate the most vulnerable, even as the World Health Organisation has raised concerns that China was not adequately vaccinated.
China Meheco Group, the healthcare platform which been selling the oral Covid drug, on Wednesday said that it has signed an agreement with Pfizer to import and distribute the medicine.
The agreement is valid between December 14 and November 30, 2023, China Meheco said in a filing to the Shanghai stock exchange, reports Reuters news agency.
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Earlier, Paxlovid was made available through Chinese hospitals to treat high-risk patients in several provinces. But now, it is available for retail sale.
Earlier this week, China Meheco started selling Paxlovid in what appeared to be the first retail sale of the drug in the country. Within an hour, the two-drug oral treatement was sold out within half an hour.
Responding to the matter, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr Ashish Jha on Thursday said that the Biden administration "was not involved in any way" in the approval process and welcomed other countries benefiting from American innovation.
“Since the beginning of this administration, the president has been very clear that we think it’s really important for the world to benefit from the fruits of American scientific innovation," he said.
"The president’s been very clear. We stand ready to help any country that needs help in terms of vaccines, treatments, anything else. So, that offer stands globally for any country that could benefit," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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