MSD India outlines further specifics around the just-announced voluntary licensing deal for molnupiravir with Indian firms, noting an expectation to discuss local data needs with the country’s regulator. All eyes are also on whether non-licensee Natco will stay the course for its application for the investigational antiviral.

MSD-India Region chief outlines further specifics around the just-announced voluntary licensing deal for molnupiravir with Indian firms, noting an expectation to discuss local data needs with the country’s regulator. All eyes are also on whether non-licensee Natco will stay the course for its application for the investigational antiviral.

Natco seeks emergency approval in India for investigational therapy molnupiravir, currently being developed by Merck & Co for the treatment of non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The firm has linked its request to compassionate use amid a ferocious surge in COVID-19 cases in India, posing a potentially delicate choice for the regulator.

More than half a dozen generic rivaroxaban brands are now available in India, putting the heat on Bayer’s blockbuster anticoagulant Xarelto in the price-sensitive market. Many rival generics are priced over 50% lower than the innovator product.