The American pharmaceutical MSD signed this Tuesday (3) an agreement with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) for the production in Brazil of the antiviral molnupiravir. This oral medicine against Covid-19 was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) for emergency use.
The foundation will now be responsible for storing, managing, labeling, packaging, testing, importing, releasing and supplying the medicine to the Unified Health System (SUS). According to Fiocruz, the contract also provides for the conduction of experimental studies on the use of the drug against other viruses in Brazil, such as dengue and chikungunya.
The president of Fiocruz, Nísia Trindade, signed the agreement and highlighted that, in addition to vaccination, the drug “contributes to reducing the number of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 who progress to severe disease”, adding that molnupiravir will have a positive impact in coping with the pandemic. According to the manufacturer, treatment with the drug reduces the chance of death by up to 89%, and is effective in reducing hospitalizations.
Anvisa approved this Wednesday (4) the emergency use of the drug molnupiravir for the treatment of Covid-19. In use in 17 countries, the treatment has been accepted by regulatory agencies in the United States, Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia, in addition to being endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to Anvisa, the drug is indicated to treat Covid-19 in adults in stages that do not require the use of supplemental oxygen, who are at increased risk of disease progression to severe cases and whose alternative treatment options have been approved or authorized by the agency. are not accessible or clinically appropriate.
Molnupiravir should be recommended and prescribed during the first five days after the onset of symptoms and its use should be limited to five consecutive days. There is still no set date for the start of national production.
Source: CNN Brasil
