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An experimental Covid-19 treatment pill called molnupiravir is being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP. Photo: Handout
Opinion
Editorial
by SCMP Editorial
Editorial
by SCMP Editorial

Pill will not surpass need for vaccination

  • Governments are scrambling to secure supplies of an experimental anti-viral drug that is hoped will keep those most at risk of Covid-19 out of hospital and lower their chances of dying from the disease. But this development is no reason to sideline vaccinating as many people as possible

Governments are so eager to put the Covid-19 pandemic behind them and return to normality that word of a new treatment has them scrambling to make purchases.

The announcement of encouraging interim clinical trial results of an experimental anti-viral pill that is intended to keep those most at risk out of hospital and lower their chances of dying has spurred wide global interest, particularly in Asia.

Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Australia have already signed agreements, while Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Thailand plan to strike deals.

Doctors hope health authorities will quickly give approval as caring for patients will also be easier, but the development is no reason to sideline vaccinating as many people in the community as possible.

Employees walking past a Merck sign in front of the company's building in Summit, New Jersey. Photo: AFP

The drug, molnupiravir, was shown in trials to halve the number of patients who needed hospital treatment and none of those given it died, although eight deaths were reported among those who took a placebo.

If approved, it is hoped it will be used to treat those with mild symptoms to prevent them from getting seriously ill.

A significant advantage is that use of pills mean people can care for themselves at home rather than being taken to a medical institution; the current antiviral Covid-19 treatments can only be given intravenously. It is little wonder governments want to quickly lock in supplies.

Merck says its coronavirus pill cuts deaths and hospitalisations by half

A course involves capsules taken twice daily for five days. The company behind the drug, the American pharmaceutical firm Merck, expects to produce 10 million courses by the end of the year.

But the data has still to be peer reviewed and the drug has yet to be licensed for use. Several similar treatments are also being trialled and those behind them are likely to seek approval for use in coming months.

Such developments grab the interest of people worried about receiving a vaccine jab. Research has shown fear of needles is the leading reason for hesitancy.

The speed at which vaccines have been produced give others cause to worry about safety, even though they have been properly tested and proven to save lives and reduce serious infection. But the pills are about treating the coronavirus, not preventing it.

No matter whether molnupiravir is approved, vaccination will remain the best way of defeating Covid-19.

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