Pfizer, Merck Pills Renew Concerns on Covid Treatment Equity (1)

Pfizer’s and Merck’s rollouts of Covid-19 treatment pills threaten to exacerbate inequities in pandemic treatment access as the global community braces for the impact of the new omicron virus variant.

Licensing agreements with the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool open the doors for multiple generic drug producers to put out their own versions of Pfizer Inc.'s and Merck & Co.'s pills to treat those infected with Covid-19 in overseas markets.

The moves throw lifelines to low-income countries across the globe, with Pfizer boasting coverage of over 50% of the world’s population and Merck creating access for over 100 low- and middle-income ...