The Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) plan to procure the oral antiviral drug molnupiravir remains unchanged, even though a final analysis of clinical tests showed that the drug was less effective against COVID-19 than hoped for, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said on Saturday.
Molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization and death among high-risk cases by 30 percent, Chen said, citing drugmaker Merck’s final analysis of data from 1,433 trial participants.
Initial data released last month showed an efficacy of about 50 percent.
The CECC has a ordered the drug from the US company and does not intend to change its plans, Chen said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman, on Nov. 10 said that the center would purchase molnupiravir for the treatment of about 10,000 cases and has signed a letter of intent with Merck, which developed the drug in cooperation with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) on Saturday said that her agency would complete the review of Merck’s emergency use authorization application for molnupiravir by the middle of next month.
The drugmaker filed the application earlier this month, she said.
US drug regulators are still reviewing a similar application
Chang Gung University Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections director Shih Shin-ru (施信如) said he hopes that the FDA would grant approval to the drug so that it could be imported by the end of the year.
As reports of vaccine breakthrough infections in other countries increase, the drug might play an important role in efforts to curb the spread of the virus, Shih said.
For people who are not recommended to get vaccinated against COVID-19 due to other health conditions, the drug might reduce the risk of developing severe symptoms in the case of an infection, she said.
Seperately, Chuang said that the CECC is in talks with Pfizer about purchasing its experimental COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, adding that no deal has been reached.
The FDA said it received Pfizer’s emergency use authorization application for Paxlovid this week.
However, the agency has asked the drugmaker to submit additional data before it can begin reviewing the application, it said.
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