Singapore Inks Deal For Covid Antiviral Pill

Drug is said to be effective against known variants, including Delta

- Cheryl Tan

Singapore has inked a supply and purchase agreement for an antiviral pill to treat Covid-19. The pill is said to be effective against all known variants of the virus, including Delta.

The drug was developed by pharmaceutical company Merck & Co in the United States and Canada, together with Miami-based Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. Merck is known as MSD elsewhere in the world.

MSD said yesterday that the drug will be available in Singapore once it has received authorisation and approval for use.

Known as molnupiravir, the drug targets an enzyme that the virus needs to make copies of itself by introducing errors into its genetic code. This enzyme, known as the viral polymerase, is conserved across different variants, making molnupiravir effective across the Gamma, Delta and Mu variants.

Data from clinical trials suggests the drug is most effective when given early in the course of infection, said MSD.