Coronavirus: If Merck's new medication hits the market, it could be a turning point in the pandemic, but the global supply picture is uncertain.
Merck & Co. is pushing forward with an experimental tablet that could be critical in the fight against Covid-19, and attempts to get the treatment to developing countries that have struggled to vaccinate their people are ramping up. Unitaid and its partners hope to reach an agreement next week to secure the first supplies of the antiviral treatment for low- and middle-income countries, according to Philippe Duneton, the organization's executive director. Unitaid has been in talks with the company and generic manufacturers, he said.
He said, "This is exactly what we've been waiting for all these months." "With this treatment, there is a window of hope, and now we need to work together to make it work for individuals" in less developed countries.
If the new treatment is approved, it might be a game-changer in the epidemic, but the global supply situation remains uncertain. Lower-income countries have been left behind when it comes to vaccines. More than 55 countries have yet to vaccinate 10% of their people nine months after the Covid vaccine was introduced. More than a half-dozen countries have a GDP of less than 2%.
In an interim review of a late-stage clinical trial, Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP found that the medicine, known as molnupiravir, lowered the chance of hospitalisation or death by 50%.
Seeking Clearance:
Because the results were so promising, Merck and Ridgeback decided to cease enrolling patients and begin the process of obtaining regulatory approval, after consulting with independent trial monitors and the US Food and Drug Administration. Merck intends to share the information with other regulators around the world. The business said earlier this year that it had negotiated non-exclusive voluntary licence arrangements for the drug with five generic manufacturers in India in order to speed up availability in over 100 low- and middle-income nations after local regulatory approvals or emergency authorisation.
Merck said it expects to produce 10 million courses of treatment by year-end, with more expected in 2022. In June, the company agreed to a $1.2 billion supply deal with the U.S. government, under which it would provide 1.7 million courses of the treatment.
Tiered Pricing:
Merck has stated that it intends to use a tiered pricing structure based on World Bank income criteria to reflect countries' ability to fund their pandemic health response. In addition to vaccines, the medicine might be a valuable tool for the world, but manufacturing will need to be increased, and more financing will be necessary, according to Unitaid's Duneton. "What we need to do is develop an affordable but high-quality generics market, much like we did with AIDS," he said. "It's possible; it's doable."
