For Supply to 105 Low- and Middle-income Countries
Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced on Jan. 20 that it will speed up the production of a generic version of Merck & Co.'s COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir (product name: Lagevrio), for supply to 105 low- and middle-income countries.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical is one of the three Korean generic drug manufacturers that signed sublicense agreements with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a U.N.-backed public health organization, to produce Merck & Co.'s oral antiviral medication. The two other companies are Celltrion Inc. and Dongbang FTL.
Molnupiravir was approved for emergency use in the United Kingdom in November 2021.
The MPP has selected 27 drugmakers around the world to produce low-cost versions of molnupiravir for low- and medium-income countries.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical submitted a letter of intent to participate in the project to the MPP in November 2021. The Korean drugmaker was finally selected as a production manager in December 2021. Under the contract, Hanmi Precision Chemical, an affiliate of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, will produce raw materials for molnupiravir, while Hanmi Pharmaceutical will produce finished drugs.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical will receive molnupiravir manufacturing technology from MSD. Patent royalties will be exempted until the WHO declares the end of the pandemic.