An antiviral drug discovered at Emory University could soon be put to use combating the COVID-19 surge in India through a partnership with Merck & Co.
The pharmaceutical giant will license molnupiravir, discovered at Emory’s nonprofit drug commercialization initiative, DRIVE (Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory), for use worldwide after Phase III clinical trials are completed.
Merck is working with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop the drug and has licensed its production to five WHO-cleared generic drug manufacturers in India to speed the rollout there and in other countries. It will also donate $5 million in oxygen-production equipment and other supplies.
India’s health system is struggling under the weight of one of the world’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19. Officially, the country is recording more than 400,000 cases daily, though some experts believe the actual figure could be greater than a million. The world has sprung into action, sending oxygen cylinders, protective gear and antiviral drugs to help as thousands die each day, some from a lack of oxygen supply.
“The scale of human suffering in India at this moment is devastating, and it is clear that more must be done to help alleviate it. These agreements, toward which we have been working as we have been studying molnupiravir, will help to accelerate access to molnupiravir in India and around the world,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck, in a statement. “We remain committed to aiding in the global response that will bring relief to the people of India and, ultimately, bring an end to the pandemic.”
Emory scientists first developed molnupiravir to treat equine encephalitis and influenza, but it has been shown in lab tests to be active against coronaviruses and has eliminated SARS-CoV-2 in the nose swabs of symptomatic patients. Crucially, it can be taken in pill form — a more convenient outpatient option than IV- or injection-based therapies — and may help in reducing both illness and transmission if offered early enough in the disease’s progression.
“To advance a drug quickly and across the globe in all the countries where it is needed, you need the capacity of a company like Merck,” said George Painter, CEO of DRIVE, said at a media briefing last Tuesday. “It’s gratifying to see how quickly they moved and how they’re getting this into the hands of people in India to meet this threat.”
The five Indian manufacturers licensed to make the drug upon its approval by regulators include Cipla Limited, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited, Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited, Hetero Labs Limited and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited.
Read more on Emory’s news site here. Learn more at driveinnovations.org.