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Torrent Pharma inks pact to make, sell generic version of Pfizer’s oral Covid-19 drug
The oral Covid-19 treatment comprises of nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein to stop the virus from replicating and ritonavir, which slows down nirmatrelvir’s breakdown to help it remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations.
Torrent Pharma has entered into a licensing agreement with Medicine Patent Pool (MPP) to manufacture and commercialize a generic version of Pfizer’s Oral Covid-19 treatment.
The company announced on Thursday that it has signed a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sub-licensable, license agreement to use the patents and know-how in relation to the compound ‘nirmatrelvir’ with MPP for manufacture and commercialization of the generic version of PAXLOVID in 95 countries including India for treatment and/or prevention of Covid-19.
Earlier, MPP had entered into a license agreement with PF Prism Holdings B.V. (Pfizer) granting MPP with the rights to sub-license manufacture and commercialization rights to sub-licensees, it said in a media statement.
The oral Covid-19 treatment comprises of nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein to stop the virus from replicating and ritonavir, which slows down nirmatrelvir’s breakdown to help it remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations, the company said in the statement.
Torrent Pharma will launch the product after obtaining necessary approvals from regulatory agencies.
Pfizer markets its oral Covid-19 treatment under the name PAXLOVID™, which is authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of Covid-19 in patients at high-risk of progressing to serious illness.
India’s drugs regulator granted molnupiravir, Merck’s anti-viral oral tablet to treat Covid-19, restricted emergency use authorisation in December, last year, in mild cases that run the risk of hospitalisation.
The national Covid-19 task force is still deliberating whether to include the drug in standard Covid-19 treatment protocol due to safety concerns.
