Darnitsa to produce Covid drug under Pfizer's license

KYIV. March 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The Ukrainian pharmaceutical firm Darnitsa has won a tender and signed a contract with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to obtain a license to develop and produce a generic version of the Pfizer oral drug Paxlovid for treatment of Covid-19, the company said.

The company will also be allowed to supply the drug to 95 countries, including Ukraine, it added.

Ukraine approved Paxlovid for emergency treatment in mid-February. Earlier, it and Pfizer signed a contract with the main terms and conditions for buying Paxlovid for outpatient treatment of the coronavirus disease. The contract stipulates 300,000 treatment courses. Using the drug is expected to prevent complications, hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk patients.

Darnitsa was founded in 1930. It is the leader of Ukraine's pharmaceutical market in terms of volume. It produces heart and neurological medications and painkillers.

The MPP is a UN-supported healthcare organization which works to broaden access to life-saving medications and assists with their development for low- and middle-income countries.