Mubasher: Pfizer is forecast to produce 120 million treatment courses of its new COVID-19 antiviral medicine, Paxlovid, in 2022, to fulfill the global demands, the Regional President of Pfizer in Africa and the Middle East (AfME), Patrick van der Loo, said.
This announcement was made during a virtual roundtable held on 1 March under the title of "Understanding Pfizer’s Exciting Journey – including COVID-19 and Beyond".
Van der Loo remarked that many countries in the Middle East have had access to Paxlovid, and the company is in talks with other local governments to deliver the treatment.
As for the vaccination roll-out, Pfizer has provided 2.9 billion vaccines to 170 countries across the world in 2021, including 16 countries in the Middle East and 39 in Africa.
As of 6 February 2022, the company offered 101 low and middle-income countries more than 1.1 billion doses.
Van der Loo said: "Pfizer has pledged to provide 2 billion doses of our COVID-19 vaccine to low and middle-income countries in 2021 and 2022 – at least 1 billion doses each year. We have fulfilled this pledge for 2021."
Pfizer's 2022 Plans in the Region
The company seeks to raise the number of patients having access to medicines across Africa and the Middle East by 45% in 2022 after recording over 4.1 million patients last year.
In addition, the global pharmaceutical company is preparing to introduce more than 50 products this year to tackle public health challenges, alongside the 100 products available in the region across six therapeutic areas.
The Regional President of Pfizer AfME noted: "We are aspiring to launch more than five new programs, in addition to expanding some of our current ones to include new treatments in 2022. Our hope for this year is to support the lives of over 10,000 patients across AfME."
In the meantime, the Vice President and Regional Medical Lead at Pfizer AfME, Yasser El Dershaby, announced that the company seeks to enter into further investments and partnerships with governments to promote research and development (R&D) and clinical trials.
In 2021, the company issued 44 publications, 20 non-interventional studies (NIS), and 18 clinical trials and partnered with research centres in Saudi Arabia to carry out phase II and III clinical trials in hemophilia, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
El Dershaby added: "This year, we are planning to bring more Phase I and II clinical trials in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Gulf Countries, and develop several programs to bolster research capabilities and develop the infrastructure."
