Futu News On January 20, Futu Patent Pool (MPP) announced that it has signed agreements with 27 generic drug manufacturing companies to produce and supply high-quality, affordable MSD anti-coronavirus drug Molnupiravir generic drugs to 105 low- and middle-income countries or regions around the world to promote the affordability and accessibility of oral anti-COVID-19 drugs in low- and middle-income countries to help prevent and control the local epidemic.

A total of 5 Chinese pharmaceutical companies were shortlisted for the agreement. Fosun Pharmaceutical, Borui Pharmaceutical, Shijiazhuang Longze Pharmaceutical and Shanghai Disano were licensed to simultaneously produce Molnupiravir's raw materials and finished drugs, while Langhua Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Viva Biotech, was allowed to produce Molnupiravir's raw materials.

MSD, its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Emory University in the US, which invented the drug, will not receive royalties from MPP sublicenseholders' Molnupiravir sales.