Government Already Secured 20,000 Oral Treatment Courses... Additional Negotiations Underway

Merck's oral COVID-19 treatment 'Molnupiravir'
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] It has been confirmed that the government has succeeded in securing more than 20,000 doses of the oral COVID-19 treatment, called a 'game changer.'

On the 6th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency responded to reporters' inquiries about the status of securing oral treatments by stating, "We have already secured quantities including 20,000 doses," and "There are additional quantities under negotiation." However, they added, "We plan to disclose contract details after consulting with the developers," and "We cannot disclose all specific contract details at this time."

Earlier that morning, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "We have already pre-purchased about 20,000 doses of the oral treatment, and we are continuing to monitor the remaining portion." He also mentioned that a budget for 40,000 doses has currently been secured.

Currently, global pharmaceutical companies such as Merck (MSD), Pfizer, and Roche are developing oral COVID-19 treatments. Among them, Merck announced on the 3rd that its oral antiviral drug molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization by about 50% in a Phase 3 clinical trial involving 775 COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms within 5 days of infection. Merck plans to request approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) soon.

Merck's oral treatment is currently expected to cost more than 900,000 KRW. Regarding this, Prime Minister Kim said, "We cannot place the entire burden on patients or confirmed cases," implying that since COVID-19 treatment costs are currently fully covered by government spending such as health insurance funds, the government will also bear the cost of the treatment. However, Prime Minister Kim refrained from elaborating, stating, "Nothing has been decided yet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.