Malaysia has struck a deal with Merck & Co, a US drug maker, to buy 150,000 courses of its experimental Covid-19 pill, Malaysia’s health ministry announced on Tuesday.
Molnupiravir would become the first oral medication for Covid-19 virus, if Merck gets the regulatory approval. The results of clinical trials found that the pill could halve the chances of death and severe illness for the people who are most at risk of contracting acute infections of Covid-19.
South Korea, Singapore and Australia, have announced similar deals with the company to purchase the pills in huge volumes, earlier this week. Taiwan and Thailand have also stepped on board which has sparked large demand for the drug in the continent.
On Thursdday, Khairy Jamaluddin, Health Minister of Malaysia, said in a statement that the Malaysian government has signed a letter of undertaking for the purchase. He added that the decision was made as the country was preparing for a transition into an endemic phase, where the people could co-exist with the Covid-19 virus by adding new and improvised treatments as ‘tools’ to fight the coronavirus, apart from vaccine jabs and other measures for public health.
Malaysia recorded the third highest infections in Southeast Asia, with nearly 2.3 million Covid-19 cases. The number of daily infections reduced as vaccination programmes were ramped up. The country has gradually lifted travel restrictions and Covid-19 regulations in recent weeks as the Covid-19 cases have declined significantly.
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