News Snapshot:
A United Nations-backed organisation announced Thursday that it has signed agreements with more than two dozen generic drug makers to produce versions of Merck’s Covid-19 pill to supply 105 developing countries. The Medicines Patent Pool said the deals would allow drug companies to make both the raw ingredients for molnupiravir and the finished product itself. Molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Therapeutics, has been reported to cut the hospitalisation rate in half among patients with early signs of Covid-19. Britain, the European Union and the US authorised its use in recent months. Philippines’ population growth slowed due to Covid-19 “This...