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 Data from a mid-to-late stage study in November showed Paxlovid was
nearly 90% effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths
compared to placebo, in adults at high risk of severe illness.
John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), also said it was still talking to Merck about
obtaining supplies of its molnupiravir COVID pill and a call was
scheduled for this week about that.
"For the Pfizer situation, we have the MOU. The memorandum of
understanding is with the legal office at the AU (African Union),"
said Nkengasong. The Africa CDC is an AU agency.
"Once that is cleared we will formally make an announcement with
Pfizer and provide details," he told an online media briefing.
A World Health Organization panel last week backed the use of
molnupiravir for high-risk patients such as the immunocompromised,
the unvaccinated, older people and those with chronic diseases.
Merck's pill has been in lower demand than the Pfizer medication
because of comparatively low efficacy and potential safety issues
for certain groups.
South Africa's government has said it was not planning to buy
Merck's pill for cost reasons, despite the drug gaining approval
from the country's health regulator.
[to top of second column] |
 Nkengasong said African
countries should be using a combination of
public health measures, vaccines, testing and
the Pfizer and Merck treatments in their efforts
to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic this year.
"These molecules have a very unique role to play in a campaign to
fight against this terrible pandemic," he said.
Nkengasong expressed a concern about countries where vaccination
rates were still very low, which include most African countries,
saying people should not be complacent as the virus still posed a
grave risk.
"Of course the war going on in Ukraine has taken a lot of attention
away from COVID, which is unfortunate because COVID has now killed
close to 6 million people," he said.
"If the deaths of 6 million people doesn't shake us, then I don't
know what can shake us in our humanity."
(Reporting by James Macharia Chege; Writing by Estelle Shirbon)
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