Health: Analysis: Demand for Pfizer’s Covid pills lags around the world – Gulf Digital News

Health: Analysis: Demand for Pfizer’s Covid pills lags around the world – Gulf Digital News

Worldwide demand for Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) oral Covid-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid has been unexpectedly light due to complicated eligibility requirements, reduced testing, and potential for drug interactions, a Reuters review of data and interviews with experts has found.

Demand also has been hampered by the perception that Omicron infections are not that severe.

Paxlovid was expected to be a major tool in the fight against Covid after it reduced hospitalizations or deaths in high-risk patients by around 90% in a clinical trial.

Thousands of people still die from Covid-19 every week, even as global infections are far off their peak. And there are only a few proven antiviral treatments, of which Paxlovid is the most attractive. The others are Merck & Co's (MRK.N) far less effective rival pill molnupiravir, and Gilead Sciences' (GILD.O) intravenous remdesivir.

But even amid a recent rise in infections, Paxlovid supply far outstripped demand in the United States, UK, Japan, and South Korea, data from health ministries and Reuters interviews with doctors and pharmacists found.

"We're just not seeing as many people coming in for testing," said Dr. Timothy Hendrix, senior medical director of AdventHealth Centra Care in Florida, which has more than 40 urgent care locations.

Hendrix said he had not