KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 7): Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government decided to purchase the molnupiravir pills from Merck & Co despite Malaysia’s high vaccination rates, as there are still cases of breakthrough infection.
He said there are still infections among those that are fully vaccinated, and that the pills can be used to treat category 3, 4 and 5 patients who are hospitalised.
“We still need these pills to accompany our immunisation programme. Doctors will have the choice to give the pills to those that are unvaccinated, as well as those that are vaccinated but still face severe symptoms such as those under category 3, 4 and 5,” Khairy told a press conference on Thursday.
However, he noted that nearly 90% of Malaysia’s adult population have been fully vaccinated and therefore, the government does not need to acquire a big supply of the pills, pointing out that it had signed a letter of undertaking for enough doses to cover 150,000 patients as a start.
Meanwhile, he declined to comment on the cost of the pills, due to a confidentiality agreement under the letter of undertaking.
It was reported that Merck has been accused of overpricing the new medicine, allegedly charging 40 times the price of what it costs to make the medicine.
Non-profit news organisation The Intercept said Merck is charging the US government US$712 for the same amount of medicine that costs US$17.74 to produce for a five-day course, citing a report issued by drug pricing experts at the Harvard School of Public Health and King’s College Hospital in London.