Merck

  • Covid-19 NewsMolnupiravir, the Covid-19 pill, to be developed in Thailand

    Molnupiravir, the Covid-19 pill, to be developed in Thailand

    The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is planning to partner with Chulabhorn Research Institute to develop a domestic version of Molnupiravir, the Covid-19 antiviral pill. The announcement was made by Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul in response to the rising Omicron variant outbreak proliferating across Thailand, sending daily infection rates soaring again. Molnupiravir was developed in the US by a joint…

  • Covid-19 NewsPfizer Covid-19 pill nearly 90% effective at preventing hospitalisation, death

    Pfizer Covid-19 pill nearly 90% effective at preventing hospitalisation, death

    The pharmaceutical firm Pfizer says there have been highly promising results from the final analysis of its new Covid-19 treatment. The antiviral pill, which, if approved, will be sold as Paxlovid, has been shown to be nearly 90% effective at preventing hospitalisation and death in high-risk patients. Furthermore, recent data appears to show that the pill remains effective against the…

  • Covid-19 NewsAirAsia boss accuses governments of overreacting to Omicron threat

    AirAsia boss accuses governments of overreacting to Omicron threat

    The CEO of the AirAsia Group says governments shouldn’t panic over the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The Bangkok Post reports that Tony Fernandes says officials should instead focus on reducing the cost of PCR testing. “It’s a huge overreaction. We don’t know anything about this variant yet. Let’s wait and see before we jump the gun.” Fernandes says…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 medications are a boon, but don’t replace vaccines

    Covid-19 medications are a boon, but don’t replace vaccines

    The good news of several new anti-viral pills that have shown to be effective in greatly reducing Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths, coupled with statistically rare vaccine side effects or deaths that some people latch onto, may tempt many to skip getting vaccinated and rely solely on medication once they get infected. But a Thai expert on crisis communication with the…

  • Covid-19 NewsPM Prayut pushes for pre-ordering of Molnupiravir and Paxlovid

    PM Prayut pushes for pre-ordering of Molnupiravir and Paxlovid

    The Ministry of Public Health has been pushed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to pre-order Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, the anti-viral drugs that have proven effective in treating Covid-19. The drugs, produced by Merck and Pfizer respectively, have been shown in testing to reduce the severity of Covid-19 symptoms, hospitalisations and death due to the virus. Molnupiravir recently became the first approved…

  • Covid-19 NewsBritain the first to approve Covid-19 antiviral pill Molnupiravir

    Britain the first to approve Covid-19 antiviral pill Molnupiravir

    Molnupiravir, the antiviral pill that fights Covid-19, has just been approved for use in Britain, the first country in the world to do so. The pill was developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms in patients infected with Covid-19. The drug is recommended to be used as soon as possible after a…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand deemed too wealthy to produce generic Molnupiravir

    Thailand deemed too wealthy to produce generic Molnupiravir

    Thailand has been deemed to be too rich to produce a generic version of the anti-viral drug Molnupiravir that reduces the negative effects of Covid-19 infections. Merck, the producer of the drug, had made an agreement to license the virus-fighting drug to production companies in poor countries to help in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. But the World Bank has…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 pill treatment highly effective at preventing hospitalisation, death

    Covid-19 pill treatment highly effective at preventing hospitalisation, death

    A prominent Thai virologist says the world’s first oral treatment for Covid-19 is highly effective if taken within 5 days of symptoms developing. Dr Yong Poovorawan from the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University made the statement on his Facebook page yesterday. According to a Bangkok Post report, he was citing research published on the health sciences…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand to finalise procurement contract for new Covid-19 drug within 2 weeks

    Thailand to finalise procurement contract for new Covid-19 drug within 2 weeks

    The Health Ministry says a contract to purchase supplies of the first oral Covid-19 treatment will be completed in the next 2 weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, the first batch of pills could arrive as soon as November. Somsak Akkasilp from the Department of Medical Services says the government has ordered enough to treat 200,000 people, adding that…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand to order new anti-viral “magic” pill for Covid-19 treatment

    Thailand to order new anti-viral “magic” pill for Covid-19 treatment

    Thailand is joining the queue to get its hands on a new Covid-19 treatment from pharmaceutical giant, Merck. The new treatment, in pill form, has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or by Thailand’s equivalent. However, after falling behind other countries in vaccine procurement, officials now seem anxious to get in there quickly, with reports…