Hetero, an Indian pharmaceutical company, announced the receipt of World Health Organization Prequalification of Medicines Program (WHO PQ) approval for its generic version of COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment candidate nirmatrelvir. This is the first prequalification for a generic version of Pfizer's COVID-19 oral antiviral drug 'PAXLOVID'.
WHO made a strong recommendation for nirmatrelvir and ritonavir for mild and moderate COVID-19 patients at highest risk of hospital admission, such as unvaccinated, aged, or immunosuppressed patients