DOH: Discussion with Pfizer on procurement of oral COVID pill Paxlovid ongoing

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said the government is still having an ongoing discussion with Pfizer on the procurement of its oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment in high-risk patients due to legal grounds in the country.

At a media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they have been in discussion with Pfizer on the procurement of Paxlovid since last January.

“When a country procures from other manufacturers, especially international manufacturers, may mga limitasyon ang Pilipinas o yung ating procurement processes because of specific laws in the country. So ongoing discussions until now for Paxlovid pill,” she said.

The Food and Drug Administration earlier granted an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's Paxlovid.

Clinical trials showed that Paxlovid reduces hospitalization and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90% when it was taken in the first few days after symptoms appear.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, on the other hand, said the government could not procure many stocks of the COVID-19 antiviral treatment due to lack of indemnification law in the country.

“Wala pong problema rito. Hindi lang po nakapagangkat ang gobyerno ng maramihan dahil ang hinihingi ng kompanya na para magbenta sila ay dapat may indemnification law  na kung sakaling may problema sa paggamit ng Paxlovid, sinisiguro nila na 'di sila hahabulin o dedemanda,” he said at the Laging Handa briefing.

(There is no problem with this. We cannot procure many stocks because the company is asking that there should be an indemnification law in case there is a problem with the use of Paxlovid, they [want to] make sure that they will not be prosecuted or sued.)

The country's lack of an indemnification law—a measure ensuring compensation for individuals who develop serious side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine—had caused the delay in the delivery of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines during the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday endorsed the use of Pfizer's Paxlovid after an analysis of trial data by the UN agency showed the therapy dramatically cut the risk of hospitalization.

The recommendation comes as thousands of people die of COVID-19 every week, despite a waning global infection rate. Of existing COVID-19 treatments, Pfizer's Paxlovid is by far the most potent, the WHO said. — RSJ, GMA News