U.S. govt to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer's COVID-19 pill for $5.29 billion

[November 18, 2021]    (Reuters) -Pfizer Inc said on Thursday the U.S. government had signed a $5.29 billion deal for 10 million courses of its COVID-19 oral antiviral drug for delivery by 2022.

Paxlovid, a Pfizer's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pill, is seen manufactured in Ascoli, Italy, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on November 16, 2021. Pfizer/Handout via REUTERS

If authorized, Pfizer said it would supply the drug beginning later this year and concluding in 2022.

"This promising treatment could help accelerate our path out of this pandemic by offering another life-saving tool for people who get sick with COVID-19," said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)

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