UK Approves Merck Oral COVID-19 Treatment as World's First

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The UK health authorities have become the first in the world to approve Molnupiravir, an oral COVID-19 treatment developed by the American pharmaceutical company Merck.

On the 4th (local time), according to foreign media including The Guardian, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced the approval of Molnupiravir, an oral treatment from the US company Merck. The UK health authorities recommended taking Molnupiravir within five days of symptom onset for those who test positive for COVID-19 after testing.

According to The Washington Post (WP), on the 27th of last month, Merck signed an agreement with the international medical organization Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to share manufacturing licenses for its oral COVID-19 treatment Molnupiravir. Merck stated that this decision was made to allow generic production of the treatment in 105 low-income countries, thereby expanding access to the treatment at a low cost.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee is also scheduled to vote on whether to grant Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Molnupiravir on the 30th. The US government had previously agreed to purchase 1.7 million courses upon approval, with the price reportedly set at about $700 (approximately 830,000 KRW) per course.

Meanwhile, Merck expects to produce 10 million courses by the end of this year and anticipates expanding production capacity next year. On the 1st of last month, Merck announced interim clinical trial results showing that Molnupiravir reduced hospitalization and mortality rates by about 50% in a clinical trial involving 775 mild to moderate patients worldwide.

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