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Natco Tests Compassionate Use Window In India For Merck’s COVID Pill

Merck steps in to seal voluntary licensing deals with five Indian firms

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

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.

Will India Consider Compassionate Use Of Molnupiravir? • Source: Alamy

The Indian company Natco Pharma Limited has created a flutter in seeking an emergency go-ahead in India for molnupiravir, an investigational antiviral being pursued by Merck & Co., Inc. for the treatment of COVID-19.

Natco’s move is seen as combative by some given that Merck doesn’t appear to have partnered with the Indian firm and there could be a maze of patents that it may need to tackle along the way

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