Pfizer's Paxlovid Usage Surges 315% in Past Four Weeks Amid Expanded U.S. Distribution

Intelligent Finance APP learned that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Tuesday that the usage of Paxlovid, the COVID-19 oral drug developed by Pfizer (PFE.US), has increased by 315% in the past four weeks.

According to a senior health official, they distributed nearly 115,000 courses of Paxlovid in the first week of May.

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that the available supply of Paxlovid is 3.3 million courses, of which 668,954 have been distributed.

"The official stated: 'In recent weeks, the number of sites distributing Paxlovid has increased from 20,000 to approximately 35,000, and we will continue to expand the accessibility of the drug.'"

It was reported that in December last year, Paxlovid was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults and children with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19.

Suppliers have provided 230,257 courses of Merck's (MRK.US) COVID-19 oral drug molnupiravir. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that there are currently about 3.2 million courses of molnupiravir available for use.

The U.S. government has reached an agreement to purchase Paxlovid and molnupiravir at prices of $530 and $700 per course, respectively.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 12:20 PM Eastern Time on the 17th (00:20 AM Beijing Time on the 18th), the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States exceeded 1 million, with a total of 82,680,909 confirmed cases.