New Covid drug effective and cheaper, says pharmacists’ association head

A pharmacists’ association head said on Monday that the new Covid drug -- molnupiravir, developed by a US drugmaker -- is effective and cheaper, which could help relieve the burden on hospitals if Hong Kong sees another outbreak of infections.

The new drug from Merck & Co is set to be the first oral medication to combat Covid, and costs US$700 (HK$5,460) for a five-day treatment. Latest data showed it can lower a patient's admission rate by 50 percent.

Speaking on a radio program this morning, William Chui Chun-ming, president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong, said the new drug is much cheaper than Remdesivir, a drug used by the Hospital Authority to treat Covid patients which costs around HK$15,000 per treatment.

Remdesivir is a drug initially developed during the 2013 Ebola epidemic to treat the disease. It is used to treat Covid after it was found to have a beneficial effect on patients with the virus.

Chui also said the government should act early to ensure the city is able to procure the medication, as other countries are expected to compete for it.

The Hospital Authority is said to be planning to purchase 500 treatments -- at least 5,000 tablets -- of the new drug.

Meanwhile, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung said that although the interim results of the drug were encouraging, trials for the drug were still incomplete.

He said the government should adopt a cautious approach and wait for more information on the drug.

Ho stressed that getting vaccinated was still the safest and most effective way to prevent complications and deaths relating to Covid-19, which could lower the fatality and hospitalization rate by up to 90 percent.