Fosun Pharmaceutical among five Chinese firms licensed to produce generic version of Pfizer’s oral Covid-19 drug
- The agreements came after China for the first time imported Pfizer’s fully-packaged Covid-19 drug Paxlovid
- The five Chinese drug makers were among 35 firms to sign non-exclusive sublicensing agreements with the United Nations-backed MPP
Five Chinese companies have been licensed to produce a cheaper version of a Pifzer oral Covid-19 treatment for lower-income countries, pushing related stocks higher on Friday.
Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group, Apeloa Pharmaceutical, Shanghai Desano Pharmaceuticals and Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical signed agreements with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), an organisation that aims to increase access to drugs in poorer countries, to produce and supply the raw ingredients for nirmatrelvir and the finished drug – an antiviral inhibitor which prevents the virus from replicating – in 95 lower-income countries. Zhejiang Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical, however, was only licensed to produce the raw ingredients.
The agreements came after China for the first time imported Pfizer’s fully-packaged Covid-19 drug– named Paxlovid. China imported 21,200 boxes of Paxlovid via a tariff-free zone in Shanghai late on Thursday, according to local media outlet The Paper. The drugs were immediately transported to cities which have been most severely affected by the latest wave of Covid-19, the newspaper said.
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Paxlovid comprises nirmatrelvir and anti-HIV ritonavir pills, which enhance the concentration of nirmatrelvir for a longer period to better fight the virus. The progress will help China in its own fight against a recent spike in Covid-19 cases, which has led to lockdowns in some areas and rising economic headwinds.
Shanghai Fosun advanced 2.5 per cent on Friday in Shanghai, after gaining 7.5 per cent on Thursday. It added 1.2 per cent in Hong Kong. Apeloa increased 0.2 per cent in Shenzhen, Huahai dropped 4.7 per cent and Jiuzhou lost 4.4 per cent in Shanghai.
Shanghai Fosun and private firm Shanghai Desano became the first two Chinese companies eligible to make generic versions of Covid-19 pills from Pfizer and Merck respectively. They were approved in January to make Merck’s molnupiravir, along with three other Chinese firms.
Apeloa increased 0.2 per cent in Shenzhen, Huahai dropped 4.7 per cent and Jiuzhou lost 4.4 per cent in Shanghai. State-owned China Meheco Corp, which will commercialise the Pfizer drug in China within this year, surged by the daily cap of 10 per cent in Shanghai.
Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill Paxlovid approved for emergency use in China
The five Chinese drug makers were among a total of 35 companies that signed non-exclusive sublicensing agreements with the United Nations-backed MPP.
“The companies that were offered the sublicence demonstrated their ability to meet MPP’s requirements related to production capacity, regulatory compliance, as well as international standards for quality-assured medicines,” the Geneva-based MPP said in an announcement.
Beijing approved Pfizer’s Paxlovid for emergency use in February, the first foreign treatment for the coronavirus passed by the world’s second-largest economy. The pills are used to treat adults with mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms with a high risk of progression to severe disease, the Chinese drug regulator said in announcing the conditional approval on February 12.
Merck’s rival drug to treat Covid-19 has not been approved by the Chinese authorities yet.
