China Meheco Group Co Ltd said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc to import and distribute the U.S. drugmaker's oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid in mainland China, as the country braces for a surge in COVID patients after scaling back its 'zero COVID' policy.
of infections is building, even though official tallies of new COVID cases have trended lower recently as authorities eased back on testing.in what appeared to be the first retail sale of the drug in the country.
The two-drug oral treatment sold out just over half an hour after the listing was reported in the media, the platform's customer service said, underscoring surging demand for COVID and flu medicines in China. Pfizer was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday. In an emailed statement on Tuesday, the company said it was "actively collaborating with all stakeholders to secure an adequate supply of Paxlovid in China and remains committed to fulfilling the COVID-19 treatment needs of patients in China".of Paxlovid this year. As of Nov. 30, Pfizer had shipped almost 37 million courses of Paxlovid to 52 countries around the world, it said in a statement.
Prior to announcement of the new U.S. contract, analysts had forecast Paxlovid sales would top $22 billion in 2022 and be close to $12 billion next year, according to Refinitiv data. Reporting by Meg Shen and Ella Cao, Additional reporting by Michael Erman in New Jersey; Editing by Alison Williams, Mark Potter and Bill Berkrot
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