BANGKOK, Nov18 (TNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he accepted Pfizer’s decision not to transfer the formula of its COVID-19 drug Paxlovid to Thailand.
He said that Thailand could do nothing with the issue and the company had its own criteria for sharing its drug manufacturing patents.
He assured that the Public Health Ministry had its backup plan to prepare medications to cope with COVID-19 outbreaks.
Dr. Somsak Akasilp, director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said Thailand did not meet the criteria of Pfizer because the country was an upper-middle-income economy and Pfizer already informed the government that Thailand was not among the 95 countries that would receive the Paxlovid formula.
Pfizer did not name a country in the list of the 95 states and Thailand would try negotiations at the national level to receive the drug formula, he said.
Regarding the procurement of molnupiravir, another COVID-19 medication, Dr. Somsak said the draft contract for the purchase was sent to the Comptroller General’s Department for consideration. The department was scheduled to discuss the details of the contract on Nov 18 and the contract signing should happen next week at the latest, Dr. Somsak said. (TNA)
