As per reports, the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has entered a deal with nearly 30 generic drugmakers to make low-cost versions of Merck & Co’s., Inc. (MRK) COVID-19 pill molnupiravir for poorer nations, allowing access to the drug globally. As per the clinical trial results, the antiviral drug reduced hospitalizations and deaths of high-risk patients by around 30%.
The agreement, negotiated by the agency with Merck, allows 27 generic drugmakers from China, India, and other countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to produce ingredients and the finished drug. The MPP informed that the pill is expected to be distributed to 105 less-developed nations. As WHO has classified COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the developers of molnupiravir including Merck, U.S. firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Emory University will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost drugs.
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) is a global healthcare solutions provider that has been working towards bringing forward medicine and vaccines for some of the world’s most challenging diseases for more than a century. They are committed to increasing health care access and continue to be at the leading edge of research. Merck has the industry’s largest immuno-oncology clinical research program. To learn more about Merck (MRK) and to track its ongoing progress please visit the Vista Partners Merck Coverage Page.
If you liked this story please consider, visiting the Atossa Therapeutics (ATOS) dedicated page at Vista Partners to learn about the Seattle-based biotech firm’s work towards finding therapeutic treatments for Breast Cancer and the Coronavirus.
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