What’s new: Hong Kong has started treating Covid patients with Merck’s U.S.-made Covid-19 oral drug Molnupiravir while Pfizer’s Paxlovid was also set to arrive Monday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a press conference.
The full shipment of Molnupiravir the Hong Kong government purchased last week has arrived in the city, and the first batch of Paxlovid will also arrive on Monday, Lam said the same day. She added the delivery of the following two batches of Paxlovid has been scheduled in the next few months.
Lam also said the Chinese mainland has sent the first batch of 75 medical personnel including doctors and nurses to Hong Kong to help the city fight the latest Covid-19 outbreak. She added that an addition of 300 mainland medical personnel will follow.
The background: The mainland also granted emergency use of Pfizer's Paxlovid in February and Chinese state-owned drugmaker, China Meheco Corp.(600056.SH), has signed a 2022 supply contract with Pfizer to commercialize Paxlovid.
A total of five Chinese pharmaceutical companies including Fosun Pharma (600196.SH), have been granted patent authorization in January to produce a Molnupiravir generic drug.
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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