The antiviral molnupiravir will begin to be marketed from this Tuesday in Bolivia to treat mild and moderate cases of covid-19, the local pharmaceutical company that will import it into the country reported this Monday.
The drug, which will be sold under the name of Molmed 400, was approved by the State Agency for Medicines and Technologies in Health (Agemed), Ronald Reyes, the general manager of Droguería INTI, explained to Efe, who made arrangements to bring it to Bolivia. .
The Bolivian pharmaceutical began the procedures last November, when the multinational Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) released the patent for this drug “so that it can be marketed in all parts of the world through manufacturing franchisesReyes said.
After obtaining a certified supplier, the steps were taken before Agemed and from this week they will start selling in the country, he said.
“Tomorrow (Tuesday) it will be available in pharmacy chains so that it can be sold through a prescription to people who are positively diagnosed with COVID″, Reyes maintained.
Phase 3 testing of this product showed that those taking molnupiravir did not require hospitalization.”and the death rate has been reduced to 50%”, according to the manager of INTI.
The treatment should start as soon as the person confirms that they are infected and is taken for five days, two capsules every twelve hours, he explained.
According to Reyes, what the drug does is prevent the virus from replicating in the body, lowering its viral load, so the patient “it will no longer infect the family”.
“This is minimizing that infections replicate and that the virus spreads in the patient’s body.”, he highlighted.
He also noted that the productit is not taken as a preventive issue”, since it is only for people whose contagion has been confirmed with a laboratory test.
It can be consumed by vaccinated and non-immunized people, and at the moment only over 18 years of age under medical prescription, he said.
INTI drugstore has emphasized in a press release that the drug “not a substitute for vaccination”.
He also clarified that its use should not be prolonged for more than five days and its consumption is not recommended during pregnancy, “since it can cause teratogenic effects.”
Reyes indicated that the price of each capsule in pharmacies “should not exceed 63 bolivianos”, that is, approximately 9 dollars.
The use of molnupiravir to treat COVID has been approved in countries such as the United States, Japan, India, and Latin American countries such as Mexico and Paraguay.
Bolivia, which is going through a fourth wave of the pandemic, has accumulated 711,299 positive cases and 20,103 deaths since March 2020
.
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
