Molnupiravir, the first oral antiviral drug clinically proven to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death from known COVID-19 variants by half, may be available in the country as early as next month.
Faberco Life Sciences Inc., which was appointed to distribute Molnupiravir in the Philippines by one of Merck's manufacturing licensees, has partnered with RiteMed Philippines, Inc. for the distribution of the drug once compassionate special permits are filed with and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
“We are confident that through the distribution channels of RiteMed, Molnupiravir will reach healthcare facilities throughout the country faster, giving more Filipinos access to this life-saving drug the soonest possible time,” said Kishore Hemlani, founder of Faberco.
“This partnership with Faberco puts RiteMed in a good position to help more Filipinos survive the pandemic and is aligned with our mission to provide access to essential medicines by partnering with like-minded doctors and healthcare facilities,” added Jose Maria Ochave, president of RiteMed.
The initial batches of Molnupiravir could be available in the Philippines next month subject to regulatory approvals.
FDA director-general Eric Domingo said that the oral antiviral drug can be used by doctors and hospitals for COVID treatment via the Compassionate Use Special Permit (CSP).
Faberco will import Molnupiravir for hospitals and healthcare facilities given a CSP for the drug for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID.
During the trials, the drug regimen was given twice a day for five days to patients diagnosed with COVID. An analysis of 775 patients in the US found that only 7.3 percent of those given Molnupiravir were hospitalized, compared to the 14.1 percent of patients who were given a placebo or dummy pill. There were also no reports of deaths in the Molnupiravir group, whereas eight patients who were given a placebo in the trial later died of COVID-19.
Molnupiravir works by targeting an enzyme the virus uses to make copies of itself.