Pfizer announced on Wednesday that it will donate over two dozen medications to some of the world’s poorest countries, including its best-selling COVID-19 vaccination and therapy.
The program, which aims to improve health equity in 45 low-income countries, was announced by the drug maker at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The majority of the countries are in Africa, but there are also Haiti, Syria, Cambodia, and North Korea on the list.
The medicines and vaccines, which are widely available in the United States and the European Union, treat infectious diseases, some cancers, and rare and inflammatory conditions. According to Pam Eisele, a company spokeswoman, only a small number of the medicines and vaccines are currently available in the 45 countries.
The pharmaceutical company also intends to assist with public education, health-care professional training, and drug supply management.
Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said during a discussion in Davos on Wednesday said, “What we realized through the pandemic was that supply was not enough to resolve the difficulties that these countries are having.”
He pointed out that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, has been supplied for free to low-income countries, mostly through the US government, but that those doses are currently unavailable.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization’s director-general urged Pfizer to make its COVID-19 treatment more widely available in developing countries.
According to data firm FactSet, Comirnaty generated nearly $37 billion in sales last year, and analysts expect the company’s COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid to generate nearly $24 billion this year.
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