THAILAND JOINS ASIAN COUNTRIES TO BUY MERCK’S COVID-19 PILL

Mon 04 October 2021:

According to a Thai official, Thailand’s government is in talks with Merck & Co. of the United States to buy 200,000 courses of the company’s experimental antiviral tablet for COVID-19 treatment.

Many Asian countries are scrambling to secure early quantities of the potential treatment after falling behind Western nations in the launch of the COVID-19 vaccination due to a lack of supply.

The Philippines, which is conducting a trial on the pill, has expressed hope that the results of its domestic study will give access to the drug.

South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia have all expressed interest in purchasing Merck’s possible cure, while

They all declined to discuss the purchase talks in detail.

The molnupiravir pills, designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the virus, would be the first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19. Interim clinical trials indicated it could reduce by around 50% the chance of hospitalisation or death for patients at risk of severe disease from COVID-19.

“We are now working on a purchasing agreement with Merck that is expected to be completed by this week … we have pre-booked 200,000 courses,” Somsak said He said the pills could arrive as soon as December, though the deal would be subject to the pills’ approval by both the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Thai regulator.

By the end of 2021, the American company hopes to have produced 10 million courses of the treatment. The company has a contract with the US government to offer 1.7 million molnupiravir courses at a cost of $700 per course.

The company has said it plans a tiered pricing approach based on country income criteria.

(with agency)

Mon 04 October 2021:

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