Hi All,

We’ve had a lot of enquiries about the availability of Molnupiravir which is the new Merck/Ridgeback drug that has shown promising results in COVID-19, reducing the chance of hospitalisation by 50%.

That 50% number is based on only 775 patients, but that said, Sofosbuvir was FDA approved based on the results of only ~1000 patients. Interestingly Molnupiravir started its life at Pharmasset along side PSI-7977 (aka Sofosbuvir). Development was abandonded over concerns it was mutagenic and might cause birth defects. You can read more about the history of Mulnupiravir here:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-25/merck-mrk-molnupiravir-pill-could-change-the-fight-against-covid

At the moment Molnupiravir is not FDA approved. If and when it is approved we expect generic versions will be available.