Why producing a cheap version of the Merck pill may not be enough
Although the UN has signed several agreements to produce the generic, and therefore cheaper, equivalent of Merck's anti-Covid pill to be supplied to 105 developing countries, there are still too many limits and obstacles in the way of antivirals.
In Italy , bureaucracy hinders the path of anti Covid pills, oral antivirals to be taken within 5 days of the onset of symptoms and for which hospitalization would not be necessary, but fortunately the UN has entered into an agreement for a low version cost of the Merck pill (molnupiravir) for 105 developing nations, where health systems are often very weak.
Molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Therapeutics, is expected to halve the hospitalization rate according to studies. Great Britain, the European Union and the United States have authorized its use in recent months.
WHAT THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FOR
A United Nations organization has signed several agreements with about 30 generic drug manufacturers to produce versions of Merck's anti-Covid pill to be supplied to 105 developing countries.
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), AP says, said the agreements will allow pharmaceutical companies to produce both the raw ingredients for molnupiravir and the finished product itself.
"This is a critical step in ensuring global access to urgently needed Covid-19 treatment," said Charles Gore, executive director of the MPP.
Merck had already announced in October that it would allow other pharmaceutical companies to produce molnupiravir.
Neither Merck, nor Ridgeback Biotherapeutics nor Emory University, which invented the drug, will receive royalties from sales as long as Covid is a global health emergency.
WHERE PRODUCTION WILL TAKE PLACE
The 27 generic drug manufacturers are located in 11 countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These include India (Natco Pharma), Bangladesh (Beximco Pharmaceuticals), China (Fosun Pharma), South Africa (Aspen Pharmacare Holdings), Kenya, Egypt and Vietnam, which will soon start producing the Merck pill.
COSTS
Molnupiravir treatment, which involves taking 40 pills (4 tablets twice a day for 5 days), is expected to cost about $ 20 in poorer nations, an MPP official told Reuters .
A figure, the agency points out, much lower than the $ 700 per treatment that the United States agreed to pay for an initial delivery of 1.7 million treatments, but still double what was initially estimated by the program supported by the Organization. World Health Organization (WHO) to procure drugs and vaccines to the whole world.
LIMITS OF THE MERCK PILL
However, molnupiravir showed lower efficacy than initially announced. The updated results suggest, in fact, that its effectiveness is only 30%, while it was thought to be 50%. Some Western countries, including France , have canceled orders for this reason.
Furthermore, in order to give good results, it is necessary to administer it within 5 days of the first symptoms and this, especially in countries where it is difficult even to have access to tests, represents a problem that should not be underestimated.
Most importantly, Reuters points out, Merck's pill hasn't even been approved by WHO, making it impossible to sell in most developing countries with limited regulatory resources for national authorizations. In India, for example, it may be sold since it received emergency approval from the national regulator, but it is not currently recommended for use due to safety risks.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/perche-produrre-una-versione-economica-della-pillola-merck-potrebbe-non-bastare/ on Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:45:05 +0000.