Merck's Covid pill results raise hopes for developing world

Potentially, the drug could be very cheap to manufacture and available at a low cost in developing nations, benefiting millions of people

As Merck & Co. races ahead with an experimental pill that could play a pivotal role in the fight against Covid-19, efforts are intensifying to bring the drug to developing countries that have struggled to vaccinate their populations.

The global health agency Unitaid and its partners hope to reach an agreement as soon as next week to secure the first supplies of the antiviral treatment for lower- and middle-income nations, Philippe Duneton, its executive director, said in an interview. Unitaid has been in discussions with the company and generic manufacturers, he said.
 

“This is really what we’ve waited for all these