Merck's Oral COVID-19 Drug Molnupiravir Launches in China at RMB 1,500 per Bottle, Initial Shipment of Hundreds of Thousands of Boxes Arrives in Shanghai
Sinopharm
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Distributors and Supply Chain Service Providers
MSD
Pharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturer
Ridgeback
Biotechnology Company
Following Pfizer's Paxlovid and Henan Genuine Biotech's Azvudine, the third COVID-19 oral drug approved in China, Merck's Molnupiravir Capsules (Molnupiravir) China's quote released.
On January 10, the Tianjin Municipal Medicine Procurement Center announced the public disclosure of the initial price quotation for the COVID-19 treatment drug Molnupiravir capsules.The首发报价for Molnupiravir capsules is 1500 RMB/bottle, 40 capsules/bottle. The price of this drug in major countries is 712 USD.
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MSD's COVID-19 Oral Medication Launches at 1,500 Yuan per Bottle
The first batch of hundreds of thousands of boxes has arrived at the Shanghai warehouse.
On January 10, the Tianjin Medicine Procurement Center released the "Public Notice of the Initial Price Declaration for the COVID-19 Treatment Drug Molnupiravir Capsules." The notice showed that the initial price declaration for Molnupiravir Capsules was 1500 yuan per bottle, with 40 capsules per bottle. The import CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) price (excluding tax) ranged between 1100 yuan and 1200 yuan. The primary national price was 712 USD (approximately 4826 yuan). The public notice period was from January 10 to January 16, 2023.
The announcement states that recently, the Office of the National Healthcare Security Administration issued the "Guidance on the Price Formation of COVID-19 Treatment Drugs (Trial)", and innovative treatment drugs for COVID-19 approved for marketing from January 1, 2023 will adopt a centralized acceptance process for their initial launch price quotations. Hangzhou MSD Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. voluntarily referred to the relevant requirements and submitted the initial launch price quotation and related materials for its previously conditionally approved Molnupiravir capsules.
Preliminary results show that,The price of each bottle of Molnupiravir capsules is lower than that of Pfizer's COVID-19 oral drug Paxlovid, which has a temporary medical insurance payment price of 1,890 yuan per box in some parts of China.
In September last year, MSD signed a cooperation framework agreement with Sinopharm Group, granting Sinopharm Group the distribution rights and exclusive import rights of Molnupiravir within China. In November last year, MSD signed a distribution agreement with Sinopharm Group Co., Ltd. Distribution Center regarding the import and distribution of Molnupiravir in China.
According to the report by The Paper, Cai Maisong, Vice President of Sinopharm Group Co., Ltd., said in an interview on January 10,"Optimistically, MSD's COVID-19 oral drug Molnupiravir is expected to be available for sale in China before the Spring Festival."
"At present, the main issues are procedural, and operational problems can all be overcome." Regarding the latest progress of Molnupiravir entering the Chinese market for sales, Cai Maisong introduced to reporters on the early morning of January 4,The first batch of MSD's COVID-19 oral drug Molnupiravir has arrived in ShanghaiWaigaoqiaoBonded warehouse. "The quantity is in the hundreds of thousands of boxes, and shipments are arriving daily, with more to come."
How effective are Molnupiravir capsules?
On December 29 last year, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) granted conditional approval for the import registration of Merck & Co., Inc.'s COVID-19 treatment drug Molnupiravir capsules (brand name: LAGEVRIO) according to the relevant provisions of the Drug Administration Law, following the special drug approval procedure and conducting emergency review and approval.
On January 6, the National Health Commission of China released the "Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Infection (Tentative 10th Edition)" (hereinafter referred to as the "10th Edition"). Compared with the "Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Tentative 9th Edition)" released in March last year, the antiviral treatment section in the latest edition includes, in addition to the combination pack of Nirmatrelvir tablets/Ritonavir tablets (referred to as "Paxlovid"), monoclonal antibodies, intravenous COVID-19 human immunoglobulin, and convalescent plasma from recovered patients, the newly added Molnupiravir capsules.
In terms of the use of COVID-19 drugs, according to the introduction in the tenth edition of the plan,The applicable population for Molnupiravir capsules includes adult patients with mild to moderate illness within 5 days of onset who have risk factors for progression to severe disease. The dosage is 800 milligrams, taken orally every 12 hours for 5 consecutive days. Use during pregnancy and lactation is not recommended.
According to the First Financial News, the approved indications for MSD's Molnupiravir capsules and Pfizer's Paxlovid are similar, both being used in adult COVID-19 patients with a high risk of progressing to severe illness. Specifically, Molnupiravir capsules are used to treat adult patients with mild to moderate Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19) who have a high risk of progressing to severe disease, such as those with advanced age, obesity or overweight, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, severe cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, active cancer, and other high-risk factors for severe illness.
However, MSD's Molnupiravir capsule and Pfizer's Paxlovid target different mechanisms. The former is an RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor that suppresses or eliminates the virus by blocking the synthesis of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-2; the latter is a 3CL protease inhibitor that disrupts the viral RNA replication process by inhibiting the activity of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease.
Data shows,Taking Paxlovid within 3 or 5 days after the onset of symptoms can reduce the risk of COVID-related hospitalization or death by up to 89% and 88%, respectively. Molnupiravir can reduce the risk of hospitalization/death by 30%-50% and the risk of death by 89%-100%.
Editor: Wang Han