PFE - China clears HIV pill for COVID-19 marking 1st home-made pill against coronavirus

China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) granted conditional approval to the country's first home made COVID antiviral pill Azvudine developed by Genuine Biotech which was previous approved to treat HIV.

The Chinese drug regulator approved the Henan-based company's Azvudine in July 2021 to treat patients with HIV-1 who have high viral load.

NMPA said's Azvudine conditional approval for the additional use was to treat adult patients with common novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19).

The drug will now compete with Pfizer's ( NYSE: PFE ) COVID antiviral Paxlovid which was approved in China in February.

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group ( OTCPK:SFOSF ) is Genuine Biotech's exclusive partner for selling the antiviral pill in Mainland China, and could have rights to expanded to other markets in the future, according to a report from Bloomberg News.

Fosun was also among 35 drugmakers which were part of sub-licensing agreements , following UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) contract with Pfizer to make generic versions of Paxlovid available to low and middle income countries.

Azvudine's conditional nod comes before a decision on Shanghai Junshi Biosciences ( OTCPK:SHJBF ) and Vigonvita Life Sciences' VV116, which was submitted in China.

VV116, a derivative of Gilead Sciences ( GILD ) remdesivir, met main goal of a phase 3 trial , which pitted the drug against Paxlovid. Another study , showed that the oral drug VV116 helped shed virus faster in certain patients with COVID-19.

Other notable COVID therapy makers: AstraZeneca ( AZN ) Eli Lilly ( LLY ).

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