WHO includes oral antiviral molnupiravir in Covid-19 treatment guidelines

Invites manufacturers to submit products for pre-qualification

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has included oral antiviral drug molnupiravir in its Covid19 treatment guidelines, with a conditional recommendation for this medicine. It has also invited manufacturers to submit their products for prequalification, with a number of manufacturers of molnupiravir going through assessment now. Meanwhile, WHO has recommended against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients.

This could be good news for Indian manufacturers of molnupiravir. After the antiviral oral drug got the nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Balram Bhargava, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had said that the medicine is