Anti covid pill, Merck waives royalties for affordable price

Affordable price for the anti covid pill. American pharmaceutical group Merck (MSD outside the US and Canada) announces “a voluntary licensing agreement to promote affordable global access” to its experimental anti-Covid antiviral pill molnupiravir, under which Merck, compatriot Ridgeback Botherapeutics and Emory University in Atlanta will not receive royalties for drug sales as long as Covid-19 remains classified by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern. The agreement was signed with Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a public health organization supported by the United Nations. In the intentions of the signatories, the operation “will help create broad access to molnupiravir in 105 low- and middle-income countries”, after the drug that has been shown to be able to halve hospitalizations and deaths in adults with Covid from mild to moderate to high risk of progression to severe forms. Under the terms of the agreement “Mpp, through the license granted by Merck – a note details – will be authorized to grant further non-exclusive sub-licenses to other manufacturers” capable of guaranteeing the required quality requirements. “This transparent and public health-oriented agreement – says Charles Gore, MPP executive director – is the first voluntary MPP license for a Covid-19 medical technology, and we hope it will be a strong encouragement for the other” developers of anti-Covid treatments.