Pfizer Inc says it will supply Britain with an additional 2.5 million treatment courses of its investigational candidate Paxlovid.

That is in addition to the 250,000 treatment courses previously contracted by the British government, pending authorization and recommendation for use, bringing the full amount of treatment courses to 2.75 million.

Pfizer expects to produce up to 80 million courses of Paxlovid treatment by the end of 2022, with 30 million treatment courses available in the first half of the year.

If authorized or approved, Pfizer will offer oral antiviral therapy through a tiered pricing approach based on the income level of each country to promote equity of access across the globe.

High and upper-middle-income countries will pay more than lower-income countries.

Pfizer noted that it continues to invest up to about 1 billion dollars to support the manufacturing and distribution of Paxlovid, including exploring potential contract manufacturing options.

However, it has entered into agreements with multiple countries and has initiated bilateral outreach to approximately 100 countries around the world.

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If authorized or approved, Paxlovid will be administered at a dose of 300 milligrams (mg) (two 150 mg tablets) of Nirmatrelvir with one 100 mg tablet of Ritonavir, given twice daily for five days.

One carton contains five blister packs of Paxlovid, as co-packaged Nirmatrelvir tablets with Ritonavir tablets, providing all required doses for a full five-day treatment course.