Rich countries monopolize not only vaccines but also oral treatments... Will the 'vaccine gap' repeat?

Increased Hopes for Ending COVID-19 with 'Oral Therapeutics'
Some Wealthy Countries Monopolize Initial Supplies Following Vaccines
Concerns Over Repeating 'Vaccine Gap' Caused by Variants Like Omicron

On the 14th, the oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid was delivered to a pharmacy in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the oral antiviral treatment 'Paxlovid' by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer began to be prescribed, expectations for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic are rising. However, concerns have emerged that 'vaccine inequality' could be repeated as wealthy countries have secured most of the initial supplies of oral treatments.

Earlier, there were claims that waiving intellectual property rights (IPR) on vaccines to increase vaccination rates in low- and middle-income countries was essential to ending COVID-19, but the discussions ultimately stalled. Since then, the coronavirus has undergone multiple mutations, making the end of the pandemic uncertain.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 15th (local time) that some wealthy countries monopolized the initial supplies of oral treatments following COVID-19 vaccines. According to the report, wealthy countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom secured a significant portion of the supply of Pfizer's Paxlovid and Merck & Company (MSD)'s molnupiravir, expected to be available in the first half of this year.

Pfizer plans to produce enough Paxlovid for 30 million people by the second quarter of this year, and the United States has paid over $10 billion (approximately 11.9 trillion KRW) to purchase Paxlovid for 20 million people. The U.S. is scheduled to receive 10 million doses each in June and September. MSD's molnupiravir has been purchased for 8.6 million people across 15 countries, including 12 wealthy countries and 3 middle-income countries. MSD announced it will produce enough molnupiravir for 30 million people by the end of this year.

Severe COVID-19 patients receiving treatment. The photo is not related to specific expressions in the article.

Oral treatments like Pfizer's Paxlovid are being hailed as 'game changers' in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. Until now, COVID-19 treatments were limited to intravenous or injectable forms requiring hospitalization, but oral treatments can be taken at home, reducing the burden on healthcare systems. Additionally, patients can conveniently treat COVID-19 simply by taking prescribed medication at home. The standard price for 30 tablets of Paxlovid is $530 (approximately 630,000 KRW), which is expensive, but considering hospitalization costs, it offers efficient treatment.

Starting with the United States, countries such as Israel, the United Kingdom, and South Korea have also approved the use of oral COVID-19 treatments. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for Paxlovid for home use on December 22 last year. The FDA stated, "This authorization provides a new tool to fight COVID-19 at a critical time with the emergence of the new Omicron variant," and added, "High-risk patients who could develop severe illness will have easier access to antiviral treatment."

According to Pfizer's clinical trial data, Paxlovid demonstrated 90% effectiveness in preventing hospitalization and death in severe COVID-19 patients and maintained efficacy against the Omicron variant.

The problem is that some wealthy countries are sweeping up the initial supplies of oral treatments, showing signs of repeating the 'vaccine gap' experienced earlier. When pharmaceutical companies first began developing vaccines for COVID-19, advanced countries placed pre-orders securing enough vaccine doses for about three shots per person. However, as the Omicron variant spread, they engaged in 'vaccine hoarding' again under the pretext of booster shots, widening the vaccination gap with low- and middle-income countries. According to Our World in Data, a statistical site by Oxford University in the UK, 59.9% of the global population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while only 9.5% of people in underdeveloped countries have been vaccinated.

On the 17th (local time), Ant?nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasized the need for vaccine equity at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Concerns have been raised that if the low vaccination rates in low-income countries are not addressed, ending COVID-19 will be difficult. Just as the Omicron variant emerged in countries with low vaccine accessibility and spread worldwide, vaccine inequality could trigger the emergence of new variants.

Subsequently, there have been calls to resolve 'vaccine inequality' by improving vaccine access so that poor countries can manufacture vaccines themselves or by waiving intellectual property rights on vaccine technology. However, the European Union and others emphasized the need to protect intellectual property rights to maintain incentives for companies to develop medicines, and the discussions ultimately stalled.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres pointed out 'vaccine inequality' at the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland, on the 17th (local time). Guterres said, "The past two years have shown a simple but brutal truth: if someone is left behind, we all fall behind," adding, "If we fail to vaccinate everyone, new variants will emerge, cross borders, and disrupt daily life and economies endlessly." He emphasized, "We need an equal and fair pandemic response," and stressed, "We need vaccine equity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.