Israel’s Health Ministry has yet to start negotiations with Pfizer on purchasing its experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill, according to Hebrew media reports on Saturday night, as the US drugmaker said it was engaged in “active discussion” with 90 countries regarding the coronavirus medication.
The Health Ministry said it would soon establish contact with Pfizer to begin talks on purchasing the pill. Israel’s successful coronavirus vaccination campaign was largely the result of clinching the first contracts with Pfizer-BioNTech for the mass supply of the immunizations. With Israel’s high vaccination rates, however, it remains unclear how pressing the immediate need is for the COVID medication.
Speaking Sunday morning to 103FM radio, Health Ministry director-general Nachman Ash said the drug “sounds promising” but stressed that “we need to learn about its efficacy, side effects and costs.”
He said a decision would be made after the full results of the trial were published, and predicted that Israel’s “good relationship with Pfizer will help us bring the drug quickly.”
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Friday said some countries have already signed contracts for the medication.
“We are in discussions with 90 governments around the world right now, active discussion, and some of them already signed,” Bourla said.
Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% as the drugmaker joins the race to bring the first easy-to-use medication against the coronavirus to the global market.
Currently all COVID-19 treatments used in the US require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck’s COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it.
Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to authorize its pill as soon as possible, after independent experts recommended halting the company’s study based on the strength of its results. Once Pfizer applies, the FDA could make a decision within weeks or months.
Researchers worldwide have been racing to find a pill against COVID-19 that can be taken at home to ease symptoms, speed recovery and reduce the crushing burden on hospitals and doctors.
Pfizer released preliminary results Friday of its study of 775 adults. Patients taking the company’s drug along with another antiviral had an 89% reduction in their combined rate of hospitalization or death after a month, compared to patients taking a dummy pill. Fewer than 1% of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized and no one died. In…
Read More: Israel is not yet among the 90 countries in talks with Pfizer over COVID