Pfizer to Sell All Drugs at Cost in Low-income Countries

On May 25, Pfizer plans to sell all of its drug portfolio at cost in as many as 45 low-income countries. The program, which will initially launch in five African countries, offers 23 medicines for cancer, rare diseases, inflammation and infectious diseases, and will eventually include all of Pfizer's therapies or vaccines.

Pfizer said the drugs would be sold at production costs, usually a fraction of the price in the U.S. or European markets. The company also plans to invest in local health systems to improve diagnostic capacity, get drugs approved, and ensure doctors know how to use them.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pfizer sold the Covid-19 vaccine for about $7 a dose in low-income countries, close to its cost, compared with $19.50 in the United States. For Covid-19 and other diseases, peer drugmakers have launched similar low-cost programs, especially for diseases common in developing countries. But for most drug classes, it can take years for many of the newest, most advanced therapies to reach low-income markets.

Following Wednesday's announcement, Pfizer will open the program to any other low-income country, as well as countries that have transitioned from low-income to lower-middle-income as defined by the World Bank over the past decade. This includes much of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as countries in Asia and the Middle East including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Syria and Yemen. The World Bank defines a low-income country as a country with a per capita GNI of less than $1,000 a year.