Thirty five generic drug makers around the world will make cheap versions of Pfizer’s  COVID-19 oral antiviral Paxlovid to supply the treatment in 95 poorer countries, according to the UN agency Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Pfizer had struck a deal with MPP to allow generic drugmakers to make the pill for these 95 countries and it has been working since then to select the drug makers to whome they will licence. Paxlovid is expected to be an important tool in the fight against COVID-19 after it reduced hospitalizations in high-risk patients by around 90% in a clinical trial. The results were significantly better than those for Merck & Co’s rival antiviral pill molnupiravir in its clinical trial, an MPP statement said.