More than 30 companies to start making Pfizer’s COVID pill

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool says that nearly three dozen companies worldwide will soon start making generic versions of Pfizer’s coronavirus pill. The group, which negotiated the deal, said Thursday the new agreements would allow generic drugmakers in a dozen countries in Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and eastern Europe to produce either the raw ingredients for the Pfizer drug or the pill itself. Some of the companies might be ready to submit their drugs for approval later this year, with supplies available in 2023. Experts believe the pill’s availability in poor countries where vaccination has been slow, could make a big difference to preventing hospitalizations and deaths.