MSF calls for Merck's potential oral COVID-19 therapy molnupiravir to be made affordable

Hot on the heels of Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) filing for emergency use of its COVID-19 candidate molnupiravir in the USA, the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has struck out to have affordable access of the drug for poorer countries.

According to Lenna Menghaney, South Asia head off MSF’s Access Campaign: “If approved for use, the first oral antiviral treatment molnupiravir could be a major step forward in the provision of potentially lifesaving care for COVID-19 patients in resource-constrained settings, where billions of people remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to the disease. The drug will need to be made available and affordable as quickly as possible for people who need it everywhere. Oral drugs will be easier to use than the treatments that exist for COVID-19 so far, and allow for much broader administration, as long as they are affordable.”

Generic could cost only $20 per treatment course