Ahn to tap on “domestic production of Paxlovid generic”

Cheol-Soo Ahn inquires Pfizer about domestic production in exchange for royalties, etc.

President-elect Suk-Yeol Yoon’s transition committee works for the scientific management and control of COVID-19 after announcing abolition of political management of infectious diseases

Transition Committee Chair Cheol-Soo Ahn (Source: National Assembly Picture Corp)

President-elect Suk-Yeol Yoon’s transition committee is pursuing the manufacture of a generic version of the oral COVID-19 treatment, Paxlovid.

 

The government plans to ask Pfizer whether it would be possible to produce generic copies of Paxlovid in exchange for royalties.

 

At a press conference of the transition team that was held in Samcheong-dong Seoul on the 22nd, transition committee chair Cheol-Soo Ahn said, “Although it is unprecedented, there is a need to review the possibility of domestically manufacturing generic COVID-19 pills by making a deal with pharmaceutical companies for their patents in exchange for a royalty." Such a decision is interpreted as one of the changes that Chairman Ahn is preparing after criticizing the current government's COVID-19 measures as political and announcing policy reorganization for scientific quarantine at a meeting of the Special Committee for the Emergency Response to COVID-19 the day before (21st).

 

Ahn said, “We are experiencing a severe shortage of Paxlovid and other oral COVID-19 treatments, and may completely run out of stock by April.

 

So we need to do our best to secure oral pills to minimize those who die due to lack of treatments.” Ahn also announced his idea of conducting a public survey to investigate the rate of positive antibodies in the general public.

 

Ahn said, “Although the confirmed cases amount to 300,000 cases a day, we estimate that the actual number of those infected is around twice that due to those who are unaware of their condition or uncounted for in the statistics.

 

If we regularly investigate the positive rates among the general public, we can better grasp how much of the public was infected and is recovering, based on which we can establish a more accurate quarantine policy by age and region.” Regarding vaccinations and the vaccine pass system, Ahn believes it is appropriate to maintain the current measures as is, and that it is reasonable to allow people to decide upon themselves to receive vaccinations Ahn said, “although vaccinations are not mandatory even now, we all saw consensus on the fact that it should be left to the decision of individuals and parents.

 

Some have also discussed the use of vaccine passes, but the passes have already been discontinued by the present administration, and we believe it is no longer necessary.” Meanwhile, Ahn presented 7 recommendations regarding the COVID-19 response to the government that included: ▲ Face-to-face treatment at local clinics ▲ Fast track treatment of high-risk confirmed patients ▲ Transparent disclosure of vaccine’s side effects and confirmed patient data ▲ Voluntary vaccination for 5-11 years old ▲ Procurement of oral COVID-19 treatments ▲ Extension of small business loans and deferment.