Merck to take legal action against unauthorized distributors of its COVID treatment in China

Reuters
Updated ·1 min read
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FILE PHOTO: The Merck logo is seen at a gate to the Merck & Co campus in Rahway, New Jersey

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Merck & Co said on Wednesday it would take legal action against some pharmaceutical companies after noticing that some manufacturers were supplying COVID-19 drugs to some provinces and cities saying the medicines were authorized by Merck.

It did not name the companies in the post on its official WeChat account in China.

Merck added that Sinopharm is the only legally authorized distributor of Merck's COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir in China, which is sold under the brand name Lagevrio and was developed by Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

It added it had started talks with Sinopharm on the drug's production technology licence so that Sinopharm can supply the drug in China. Merck said in September that China National Biotec Group, an affiliate of Sinopharm, would make the drug.

China's abrupt dismantling of its zero-COVID regime starting last month has caught its public off-guard, prompting a hospital scramble for beds and blood and pharmacies to sell out of drugs as a giant wave of infections hit.

The severe shortage of drugs has made many turn to underground channels to secure treatments, which has in turn prompted caution over fake remedies, according to local media reports and social media posts.

(Reporting by Brenda GohEditing by Mark Potter and Jon Boyle)