US Drug-maker to Share Its COVID-19 Pill with Poor Countries

The company is asking health officials in the United States and around the world to approve the pill for treatment of coronavirus infections.

该公司正在请求美国和世界各地的卫生官员批准这种药丸用于治疗冠状病毒感染。

But molnupiravir could be the first pill approved for the treatment of COVID-19.

但莫努匹韦可能成为首个获批用于治疗新冠肺炎的口服药丸。

A pill can be taken at home and is easier to send around the world.

药丸可以在家服用，而且更容易运往世界各地。

Charles Gore is the Executive Director of MPP.

查尔斯·戈尔是MPP的执行主任。

Gore said the pill is an “important tool” to help deal with the current health crisis.

戈尔说，这种药丸是帮助应对当前卫生危机的“重要工具”。

He said he hoped the agreement will lead to others.

他说，他希望这项协议能带动其他协议。

The non-profit group Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, welcomed the agreement to share Merck's COVID-19 pill.

非营利组织无国界医生（MSF）对分享默克公司新冠药丸的协议表示欢迎。

But it said the license “doesn't go far enough.”

但该组织表示，这项许可“做得还不够”。

She said the license does not include nearly half of the world's population in countries like Brazil and China.

她说，这项许可没有涵盖巴西和中国等国家近一半的世界人口。

The two also have “strong, established capacity to produce and supply antiviral medicines.”

这两个国家还拥有“生产和供应抗病毒药物的强大且成熟的能力”。

Hu noted the license would also limit “the production and supply of more affordable and available generic molnupiravir.”

胡指出，这项许可还会限制“更实惠、更易获得的仿制莫努匹韦的生产和供应”。

Merck said earlier that it could produce 10 million treatments of the pill this year.

默克公司早些时候表示，今年可以生产1000万个疗程的这种药丸。

The treatment requires two pills a day for five days.

该疗程需要每天服用两粒，连续服用五天。

The U.S. has already purchased 1.7 million treatments at the cost of $700 each.

美国已经以每个疗程700美元的价格购买了170万个疗程。

The company is also working with several Indian companies to license cheaper, generic versions of molnupiravir for low- and middle-income countries.

该公司还在与几家印度公司合作，为中低收入国家授权生产更便宜的莫努匹韦仿制药。

Chan School of Public Health estimated that a generic version could cost less than $20 for each treatment.

陈曾熙公共卫生学院估计，仿制药每个疗程的价格可能不到20美元。

Last week, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it would spend up to $120 million to help develop generic versions of molnupiravir.

上周，比尔及梅琳达·盖茨基金会宣布将斥资最多1.2亿美元，帮助开发莫努匹韦的仿制药。