South Africa is in talks with Pfizer and Merck to gain access to their Covid-19 treatment pills as the omicron variant spreads across the country and cases almost double.<\/p>\n
The country wants one of them to potentially produce the therapeutics in South Africa, Nicholas Crisp, deputy director-general in South Africa\u2019s Department of Health, said in response to a lawmaker\u2019s question on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“We are discussing those two and other matters with manufacturers so that we understand what it is they are selling, what it does,” he said.<\/p>\n
South Africa has the highest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Africa, with about 3 million infections and around 90,000 deaths officially attributed to the disease. The onset of omicron is triggering a fourth wave of infections. The medications are being considered by the National Essential Medicines List Committee as are their economic value, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have done a numbers estimate with our colleagues in the provinces of the volumes we think we will be able to use of those two medications,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Merck and Pfizer are\u00a0seeking approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use of their pills, known as molnupiravir and Paxlovid respectively.<\/p>\n
South Africa recorded 8,561 infections on Wednesday, compared with 4,373 a day earlier, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.<\/p>\n