RiteMed Philippines Inc. (RiteMed), in partnership with Faberco Life Sciences Inc., (Faberco), announced that it will start its distribution in the Philippines of the first batch of the anti-COVID-19 oral drug Molnupiravir under the brand name “Molnarz.”
The company said the anti-COVID-19 drug will initially be given to hospitals, medical institutions, and treatment sites that have secured compassionate special permits (CSP) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
RiteMed president Jose Maria Ochave said depending on the issuance of necessary approvals and conditions from the FDA and the Department of Health (DOH), the company hopes Molnupiravir will be more accessible to Filipinos via drugstores.
He noted this is in line with RiteMed’s longtime advocacy of giving the public better access to quality affordable medicines. He said Molnupiravir can be used for home treatment of mild and moderate symptoms of COVID-19.
Patients with mild to moderate symptoms will need to take the pill for five days to prevent the disease from progressing. Clinical studies have shown that it is effective against Delta, Beta, and other variants.
“But we need to make sure that its use is subject to supervision by doctors and comply with the FDA requirements,” Ochave said.
To date, Molnupiravir is the first oral drug clinically proven to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 by 50 percent.
Molnupiravir, developed by Merck & Co. (known outside the US and Canada as MSD), prevents further replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by targeting its ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase—an RNA-dependent enzyme.