Merck now positions molnupiravir as a “great equalizer” offering antiviral treatment to help low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) assistance to manage the pandemic as it transitions to endemic conditions. The Philippines government has purchased 300,000 courses and the nation’s Food and Drug Administration has authorized “compassionate use” of the drug for 31 hospitals reported agency Chief Rolando Enrique Domingo recently. While the United States has been the epicenter of the pandemic, with more SARS-CoV-2-related deaths than any other nation Americans will pay top dollar for Molnupiravir—even though $356 million of taxpayer money went into the drug’s research and development while the U.S. government under the Biden Administration contractually committed to a purchase of $1.2 billion. Americans will subsidize the drug—and Merck profits—while in the Philippines reports are that the average health consumer there will pay between $1.97 to $2.96 per pill with a patient requiring 30 pills over the five-day course for a complete treatment regimen. That means that while in the United States the consumer infected with COVID-19 will pay $700 or more while in the Philippines that total course will cost between $59.1 to $88.8. Even in pandemic conditions Merck will exploit the situation—charging the American consumer 11X the price as other parts of the world even through the consumer’s tax dollars helped develop the product.
With over 109 million people, the Philippines is the 13th most populated nations worldwide. This Southeast Asian nation experience a scary surge in Delta variant-based COVID-19 cases during August and September, but cases have plummeted now most recently equaling 2,389 per day based on the seven-day average. For some perspective on September 15 that seven-day average new case figure was 21,287. Deaths have been hovering at an all-time high since the summer with a total death count of 44,430. This compares to a total of 775,176 in America.
America: Far Higher COVID Infection Rate
For comparison the death to total case ratio in the Philippines equals .015% while in the USA the death rate to cases equals 0.16%. On a per-capita basis America experiences worse infection rates at 14% while that figure in the Philippine’s equals 2.5%. Far more people succumbed to infection in America unless this Southeast Asian nation is grossly undercounting their cases—which is possible.
Potential Ivermectin Competition Delayed
In the meantime, the big push for Ivermectin in the Philippines was continuously delayed as TrialSite has reported. As chronicled by TrialSite, the big ivermectin study called for by President Rodrigo Duterte has been in continuous delay. Not implying any conspiratorial forces, the market’s been conveniently cleared for Molnupiravir sales. Of course Pfizer’s recent positive antiviral news also offers prospective competition to Merck. But prices will be higher than what would have been the cost for ivermectin.
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