The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) was on to a good thing when it signed a licensing agreement with Pfizer Inc. for nirmatrelvir while it was still an investigational COVID-19 antiviral treatment candidate PF-07321332.
A Year Of Paxlovid - Where Is The Licensed Generic?
Hetero Gets First WHO PQ; Chinese, Korean Companies In The Wings
It’s been a year since Paxlovid was launched and The Medicines Patent Pool licensed Pfizer’s nirmatrelvir. Scrip looks at a few likely reasons for authorized generics of Paxlovid not turning up and what lies ahead in 2023 as Hetero's version becomes the first with WHO Prequalification while two Chinese and a Korean company wait in the wings.

More from Business
Aldeyra’s dry eye candidate reproxalap received a second FDA complete response letter, but the firm expressed confidence about refiling quickly based on two ongoing studies.
Deal Snapshot: Lilly is the third company to sign a licensing deal for STAC-BBB with Sangamo, which also aims to secure a deal for its Fabry disease program in the second quarter.
The challenging US biosimilar market remains a persistent problem, leading the biosimilar developer to reconsider how it invests in the future while pushing for changes.
Public Company Edition: Stock valuations are falling due to political, economic and regulatory uncertainty, resulting in fewer large public offerings, more alternative financings and cost cuts. Carisma, Tenaya, BioAtla, Arbutus, Nkarta, Alector and Adaptimmune announced layoffs.
More from Scrip
By allowing it to enter the brain more easily, trontinemab’s brain shuttle brings more patients to ‘amyloid zero’ levels faster, and with fewer brain swelling side effects.
Compass' bispecific antibody tovecimig hits primary efficacy endpoint in Phase II/III top-line data in advanced biliary tract cancer, and may have class side-effect advantages. But additional survival data may be needed to support US approval.
AstraZeneca remains committed to investing in R&D and alliances in China, where Susan Galbraith, the UK major’s head of oncology R&D, sees innovation eventually reaching parity with the US and Europe.