The antiviral drug molnupiravir is given to mild F0 cases for COVID-19 treatment. (Photo: HCDC)

A Stella Vietnam representative confirmed the news with tienphong.vn.

Besides Stella Vietnam, the MPP also granted its licenses to 10 companies in India, five in China, three in the Republic of Korea, two each in South Africa and Bangladesh, and one each in Egypt /Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan and Indonesia.

The MPP website says MPP has signed agreements with 27 generic manufacturing companies for the manufacturing of the oral COVID-19 antiviral medication molnupiravir and supply in 105 low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs).

The sublicence agreements are the result of the voluntary licensing agreement signed by MPP and MSD, a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc, Kenilworth, NJ, USA, in October 2021 to facilitate affordable global access for Molnupiravir, that MSD is developing in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

“We are encouraged by the large number of new and existing partners that have moved quickly to secure a sublicence for molnupiravir through MPP,” said Charles Gore, MPP Executive Director. “This is a critical step toward ensuring global access to an urgently needed COVID-19 treatment and we are confident that, as manufacturers are working closely with regulatory authorities, the anticipated treatments will be rapidly available in LMICs.”

Molnupiravir, the antiviral drug, has been approved for treating COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Studies show the medication can help reduce the numbers of hospitalisations and deaths in COVID-19 patients.

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Health has approved a pilot programme using Molnupiravir to treat COVID-19 cases at home. Preliminary reports show almost 100% of patients taking the drug had a low viral load, a very low rate of severe disease, and no deaths.

Source: VOV

Medicines with molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatment proposed to be licensed

An advisory council of the Ministry of Health (MoH) has proposed this ministry grant certificates of registration for conditional circulation of three medicines containing the active ingredient molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatment.