S.Africa allows use of Merck COVID pill but government not buying

Feb. 18, 2022

South Africa’s government said it was not planning to buy Merck’s COVID-19 treatment pill molnupiravir on Thursday for cost reasons, despite the drug gaining approval from the country’s health regulator.

“The authorization of molnupiravir for compassionate use offers further therapy in the fight against COVID-19,” Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, chief executive of SAHPRA, said.

But health department Deputy Director-General Nicholas Crisp told Reuters that an evaluation score from the National Essential Medicines List Committee indicated that Merck’s pill would not be cost-effective.

“We are not planning to procure molnupiravir,” Crisp said, adding that the advisory committee was yet to evaluate Pfizer’s Paxlovid.

However, the private sector can buy whatever is allowed by SAHPRA since medicines are not like vaccines sold to governments only, he added.

SAHPRA said that Pfizer had applied for authorization of use of Paxlovid, and it was considering the application.

REUTERS