Molnupiravir was developed by the American companies MSD (Merck, Sharp and Dohme) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The British government has ordered 500,000 treatments of 40 pills each of the drug, which is sold under the brand name Lagevrio is sold. The United States, Australia, Singapore and South Korea have also already placed orders. The US alone has 1.7 million at about 700 dollars per course.
Merck says it can produce 10 million treatments by the end of this year; most of these have already been ordered. But the company has also announced that other companies will be allowed to make the drug so that it will also be available and affordable to patients in poorer countries.
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