His optimism for the development of the pandemic, expressed by the head of the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Albert Burla, assuring that we'll soon be able to return to normalcy.
«We will soon get our lives back...we are in a good position to do so this spring, thanks to all the tools we have at our disposal,» the Pfizer CEO assured.
Elaborating on Pfizer's plan in France, Mr Bourla claims that his company will outsource to France's Novasep a part of the global production of Covid's antiviral pill, «Paxlovid».
«The American pharmaceutical group will invest more than 520 million euros in France over five years», the Greek CEO of Pfizer claims in Le Figaro.
Albert Bourla explains that with this move, the company is strengthening its production capacities through its agreement with Novasep (a group of companies based in Lyon and active in biopharmaceutical technology), which will manufacture Paxlovid, the anti-Covid pill, at its plant in Mourenx.
This treatment would reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death of patients by 89% within three days of the onset of Covid disease symptoms, according to Pfizer.
The US plant based in France, it adds, is expected to come on stream as soon as possible and the company is planning a possible expansion of production «at other Novasep facilities in order to significantly increase volumes by 2023.
Pfizer also plans to invest more extensively in French biotechnology, particularly in the areas of oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune diseases and mRNA. Finally, the laboratory has committed to French hospitals to increase its clinical trials in French patients.
Asked why Pfizer chose to make a major investment in France, Albert Bourla says: «Our country has opened the doors by welcoming foreign investment, particularly industrial investment. The reforms carried out have made France a very competitive country. Moreover, the expertise in health technologies is among the best in Europe.».
The other day he had noted that «the virus will not go away, it will remain for maybe a decade. It is endemic, it has the ability to create variations that, one way or another, will continue to coexist with humanity for years to come.».
«Vaccines and natural immunity don't last long. We know this with all the variations so far and we're about to find out with Omicron: the immune response lasts a few months. That's why I've made the prediction that we will need a series of three doses and then an annual revaccination to maintain a good level of immunity. But it seems to be a challenge, because the new variant introduces the concept of a fourth dose, prior to the annual vaccination», he added.
