Pfizer Inc. announced an agreement to supply up to six million treatment courses of its COVID-19 oral treatment, PAXLOVID™ (nirmatrelvir [PF-07321332] tablets and ritonavir tablets) to Global Fund as part of its COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). The C19RM has been the primary channel for providing grant support to low- and middle-income countries to purchase COVID-19 tests, treatments, personal protective equipment and critical elements of health systems strengthening. PAXLOVID treatment courses will be available for procurement through this mechanism, subject to local regulatory approval or authorization, by the 132 grant-eligible countries determined by Global Fund based on income classification and disease burden.

Pfizer expects supply to be available starting in 2022, pending regulatory authorization or approval and based on country demand. Through Global Fund's framework and mechanism, eligible countries will be offered treatment courses according to Pfizer's tiered pricing approach, where all low- and lower-middle-income countries will pay a not-for-profit price while upper-middle-income countries will pay the price defined in Pfizer's tiered pricing approach. Additional contractual details of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Global Fund agreement, along with an agreement signed with UNICEF for the supply of up to four million treatment courses for low- and middle-income countries earlier this year, is part of Pfizer's comprehensive global strategy for equitable supply and access of PAXLOVID. This includes a voluntary licensing agreement with Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to enable the development and distribution of generic versions of Pfizer's oral treatment to further expand long-term global supply and access. MPP has signed sublicense agreements with 38 manufacturers, who will supply the generic versions in 95 low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Courses produced by these manufacturers are expected to be available as early as the fourth quarter of 2022.