U.S. Government Plans to Expand Distribution of Pfizer's Paxlovid to Combat Potential Summer Surge in COVID-19 Cases

SmartCom APP learned that the U.S. government is taking steps to plan the distribution of Pfizer's (PFE.US) oral anti-coronavirus drug Paxlovid to testing and treatment sites in response to a potential new wave of outbreaks due to the summer travel season.

The first COVID-19 testing and treatment site supported by the U.S. federal government will open on May 26 in Rhode Island, where patients can receive treatment on-site if they test positive. In the coming weeks, such sites will gradually begin trial operations in Massachusetts and New York City.

The government will send federal medical experts to the testing sites operated in Minnesota next week, with plans to upgrade these sites into testing and treatment centers. In addition, the government has developed medication guidelines for local doctors to clarify how to manage interactions between Paxlovid and other drugs. It is reported that the government has ordered 20 million courses of Paxlovid. However, if the usage of this drug remains high, the stock is still expected to face a shortage risk by this winter.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of May 25, the cumulative number of infections in the United States was approximately 83.4 million, with an average of about 104,000 new cases per day.