A sign is pictured outside the headquarters of Pfizer, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, July 22, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Carlo Allegri.

i24 News – Israel has reached an agreement with Pfizer to ship tens of thousands of doses of the pharmaceutical company’s Covid-19 pill immediately after US regulators give the greenlight, Channel 12 News reported Saturday evening.

The antiviral drug, which will be sold under the brand name paxlovid, was shown in early trials to cut by 89% the chances of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of developing severe disease.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz reached the agreement a week after the Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said that Pfizer would be contacted “in the coming days” to discuss an agreement.

Ash said that the treatment “sounds promising” but that more information is needed.

Now it has been revealed that as soon as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the pill, shipments to Israel will begin.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said earlier this month that the company was in discussions with 90 governments, including some that had already signed agreements.

A Covid-19 pill from Pfizer’s competitor Merck is already under review by the FDA and has been authorized for use by the British government.

Merck’s drug, which will be sold under the brand name molnupiravir, in clinical trials showed a 50% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death.