35 manufacturers sign agreements to produce generic versions of Pfizer's oral COVID-19 drug

The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has signed agreements with 35 companies to manufacture the generic version of Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment nirmatrelvir, which in combination with a low dose of ritonavir can be supplied in 95 low- and middle-income countries.

The companies that have signed the agreements span across countries such as India, South Korea, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Israel, Serbia, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil.

Nirmatrelvir, which originated in Pfizer laboratories, is designed to block the activity of the M^pro, an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate. Co-administration with a low dose of ritonavir helps slow the metabolism, or breakdown, of nirmatrelvir in order for it to remain active in the body for longer periods of time at higher concentrations to help combat the virus.