A weak contact tracing system coupled with the hesitancy for Filipinos to get tested has resulted in the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines. With the healthcare capacity pushed to its limits, patients with mild symptoms are recommended to quarantine at home instead of staying in the hospital.
Actual cures for COVID-19 are still being tested, with one drug showing promise during the initial testing. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) in the Philippines has announced that it has started the Phase 3 portion of the trial for molnupiravir, an investigational twice-daily oral antiviral pill being evaluated for the treatment of COVID-19.
“Data from the Phase 2 trial has been encouraging showing clinical benefit for mild to moderate infection. As an oral treatment administered on an out-patient basis, molnupiravir has the potential to help patients with COVID-19 early in their course of disease. We look forward to completing enrollment and receiving the data in this next phase of the study.” said Dr. Mary Ann Galang-Escalona, Country Medical Lead, MSD in the Philippines.
The global MOVe-OUT clinical trial, evaluating the 800 mg dose of molnupiravir twice daily for five days in non-hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 or early symptoms, has begun enrolling patients. Molnupiravir is being developed in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
The trial plans to enrol a total of 1,850 participants with mild or moderate COVID-19. A total of 1,550 patients in the Phase 3 portion of the trial will be randomized 1:1 to receive either molnupiravir (800 mg) or placebo twice daily for five days.
In the Philippines, the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) and Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) will be the clinical trial sites for molnupiravir. A total of 35 patients — 25 in LCP and 10 in QMMC, will be part of the phase 3 trials. Patients who are willing to volunteer as participants in the clinical trial may contact the study investigators in LCP, Dr. Virginia Delos Reyes at 0917-899-9610, and in QMMC, Dr. Joel Santiaguel at 0917-841-3314. For more information, or to enroll, visit https://msdcovidresearch.com/.
Interim data from the Phase 3 portion of the MOVe-OUT study is anticipated in September/October 2021. Pending favorable results from MOVe-OUT, the earliest possible submission for an Emergency Use Authorization for molnupiravir, in the United States, would be in the second half of 2021. MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics plan to share further findings from the ongoing molnupiravir development program with regulatory agencies as they become available.