Domestic Covid antiviral pill to cost up to 55 cents: health ministry

The Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health said Molravir 400 pills, containing 400 mg of molnupiravir, by Boston Pharma would cost VND11,500 each. Molvinavir pills, containing 200 mg, by Mekophar Chemical Pharmaceutical would cost VND8,675. Molnupiravir Stella pills, containing 400 mg, by Stellapharm, VND12,500.

Each molnupiravir box would contain between 20 and 40 pills, enough for a treatment course. It means each box would cost between VND230,000 and VND350,000 for a five-day course.

All three companies approved for molnupiravir production said they plan to begin selling and distributing them across the country within this week. Their drugs were the first Covid-19 antivirals approved in Vietnam.

Also on Wednesday, representatives of FPT Long Chau said its drugstores have begun selling around 500,000 molnupiravir pills.

Molnupiravir inhibits the replication of certain viruses by introducing errors in their viral RNA replication. It would result in “an accumulation of errors in the viral genome leading to inhibition of replication,” also known as viral error catastrophe.

The drug reduces viral load in the early stages of Covid-19, reducing risks of severe symptoms and death.