US FDA Advisory Committee Favors FDA Authorization of Merk's Molnupiravir. Photo Credit: pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com

COVID-19 Merck Canada Announces Expansion of Manufacturing for Molnupiravir


Monday, 06 December 2021 12:00.PM

- Molnupiravir will be manufactured at Thermo Fisher Scientific's site in Whitby, ON. -

Merck, known as MSD outside Canada and the United States, announced today it has entered into an agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific to manufacture molnupiravir, Merck's investigational oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of COVID-19. This agreement is part of Merck's commitment to make this investigational medicine widely available globally, if approved for use by regulatory agencies. Molnupiravir is being developed by Merck in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

Thermo Fisher's manufacturing site in Whitby, Ontario, will manufacture molnupiravir for distribution in Canada and the United Kingdom as well as markets in the European Union, Asia Pacific and Latin America, pending local market approvals. It is one of three manufacturing sites in the world for this therapy.

Merck also announced on December 3, 2021, that it has entered into a Supply Agreement with the Government of Canada for molnupiravir. Through this agreement, the Government of Canada has secured access to 500,000 patient courses, with options for up to 500,000 more in 2022.

"We are honoured to be partnering with the federal and provincial governments in support of our country's preparedness against COVID-19. We can learn from this experience and apply the same determination to grow the life sciences sector more broadly, to help fight the world's health challenges," said Marwan Akar, President and Managing Director of Merck Canada.

SOURCE: Merck Canada Inc.