A medical expert on Thursday urged the government to switch from favipiravir to molnupiravir, a more effective antiviral medication for Covid-19 treatment that is needed especially as Thailand now plans to declare Covid-19 endemic.
With its proven higher efficacy and cheaper price, molnupiravir is the ideal choice for Thailand when it comes to selecting a main oral treatment for Covid-19 patients who need it, said Asst Prof Dr Opass Putcharoen, head of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases Clinical Centre.
He was referring to the price of molnupiravir produced in India, which according to him now costs just 600-700 baht per treatment course.
By comparison, the version of molnupiravir produced by Merck & Co costs about 50,000 baht, said Asst Prof Dr Opass.
The Public Health Ministry said previously a treatment course using favipiravir cost about 1,000…
