KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The antiviral pill Molnupiravir will be given free of charge to Covid-19 patients who are symptomatic for at least five days or category three, four and five patients, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

       However, he said the pills would only be given based on doctors' advice.

       He said although the adult population's full vaccination rate was now close to 90%, the Health Ministry (MOH) found that Covid-19 infections were still occurring.

       "We need these treatment pills in addition to our vaccination programme. We found that with these pills, we give doctors the option to give them to those who have not been vaccinated and those who have. It will be given for free.

       "Merck Sharp & Dohme clinical trials have shown its effectiveness in treating category three, four and five cases, especially those with symptoms for four to five days," he said after visiting the Kuala Lumpur Hospital here on Thursday (Oct 7).

       The government, through the Health Ministry, signed a Letter of Undertaking (LoU) to procure the antiviral pill Molnupiravir to add new innovative treatment options in the fight against Covid-19.

       Through the agreement with American multinational pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme, the government agreed to procure 150,000 complete treatment packages to treat Covid-19 patients.

       Molnupiravir is also proven to be effective against more aggressive Covid-19 variants such as Gamma, Delta and Mu. - Bernama