[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Global pharmaceutical company Merck announced that it has signed a contract with authorities to supply its oral COVID-19 treatment to Singapore.
According to major foreign media on the 6th, Merck revealed that it will supply its oral COVID-19 treatment, Molnupiravir, to Singapore.
Singapore's health authorities did not provide any specific response to requests for comments.
Merck previously announced on the 1st that in a Phase 3 clinical trial of Molnupiravir, the likelihood of hospitalization for COVID-19 patients was reduced by about 50%. There were no deaths reported.
Ameri Adalja, a scholar at Johns Hopkins University, said, "An oral antiviral that can reduce hospitalization rates to this extent will be a game changer."
The company added that it plans to apply for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this pill as soon as possible and will expedite applications in other countries as well. If the FDA approves the emergency use of Molnupiravir, it will be the first oral COVID-19 treatment pill released since the pandemic began.
Merck also stated that it expects to produce enough to treat 10 million people by the end of this year and to increase production further next year.
It was reported that 1.7 million treatment courses will be supplied to the U.S. government.
Previously, Australia signed a contract to purchase 300,000 doses of Merck's treatment.
Currently, other Asian countries including South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia are also negotiating purchase contracts with Merck.
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