(ZEROHEDGE) – Merck’s new “not Ivermectin” Covid-19 treatment, molnupiravir, costs $17.74 to produce – yet the company is charging the U.S. government $712 for the treatment – a 40x markup, according to The Intercept, citing a report issued last week by the Harvard School of Public Health and King’s College Hospital in London.
The pill, originally developed using U.S. government funds as a possible treatment for Venezuelan equine encephalitis, cut the risk of hospitalization and death in half in a randomized trial of 775 adults with mild/moderate Covid who were considered at high risk for disease due to comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The trial was stopped early so the company could apply for and emergency use authorization (EUA). The drug did not benefit patients who were already hospitalized with severe disease.
News of the oral “wonder drug” sent shares of Merck higher last week, as the company says it can deliver 10MM doses by the end of the year.
