Tuguegarao City, Cagayan – A local official of MSD Pharmaceuticals said on Monday, October 18, that the anti-viral pill ‘Molnupiravir’ will not be as expensive as it is internationally once it is available in the country.
The 5-day treatment of the said anti-viral in the US costs $700 or an estimate of P35,000, according to reports of health experts.
MSD Pharma PH President Dr. Beaver Tamesis said in a statement, “I’m sure that’s not the price we will be at here. I don’t know what the price will be, but for now I’m pretty sure it won’t be $700.”
MSD is also known as Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in the US and Canada, and has inked licensing agreements with several generic manufacturers from India which will enable development of generic versions of the drug, ultimately lowering its price and increase its availability.
Tamesis said that many local companies are interested in the manufacturing of Molnupiravir, and Ritemed has also been contacted to distribute the said drugs to healthcare facilities, hospitals and medical groups once available.
Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ application for its emergency use authority is pending at the United States’ Food and Drug Administration after the preliminary studies that showed how the said pill reduces the COVID-19 deaths and hospitalization by 50%.
Molnupiravir will be the first oral drug to treat early stages of COVID-19, once approved and made available. TNF