Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited announced that the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has granted the company's sub-license to produce a generic version of Pfizer's breakthrough COVID-19 oral treatment,which is a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. This is further to the sub-license granted to the Company by MPP to produce MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics' COVID-19 drug, molnupiravir, as announced on 20 January 2022. Nirmatrelvir is a novel main protease inhibitor that specifically blocks the activity of the enzyme needed for SARS-CoV2 viral replication.

Ritonavir is a strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 inhibitor and pharmacokinetic boosting agent to increase nirmatrelvir concentrations to the target therapeutic range. The Pfizer oral treatment, under the brand name PAXLOVID™, was granted Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2021, for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older), who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. The sub-license is granted under a voluntary licensing agreement between Pfizer and MPP to facilitate broader global access of this antiviral combination.

Under the agreement, Beximco Pharma will manufacture this drug in Bangladesh following successful technology transfer and manufacturing regulatory approvals.