WHO Welcomes MSD's Licensing Decision To Allow Outside Production Of COVID-19 Drug

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the signing of a licensing agreement by the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and MSD (Merck & Co. pharmaceutical company) to develop access to molnupiravir, a new medicine for treating COVID-19 in adults, WHO said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Merch announced that it has reached a deal with the UN-backed MPP, permitting the latter to license non-exclusive sublicenses to manufacturers and diversify the manufacturing base for the supply of molnupiravir to countries covered by the MPP License. Merck said it will not receive royalties for as long as COVID-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO.

"The MPP/MSD licensing agreement is a positive step towards creating broader access to the treatment as quickly as possible by allowing generic licensees from around the world to prepare supplies and create more affordable versions of the medicine, pending WHO recommendations and other regulatory authorizations," WHO stated on Wednesday.

Molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral medicine, was reported to reduce the hospitalization risk in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 50% during the clinical trials. It is currently being assessed to be included in the WHO living guideline on COVID-19 therapeutics and is awaiting authorization for its use from governing bodies.