Asian Tech Press (Nov 7) -- U.S. drug company Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (MSD) has reached a sales agreement with Chinese state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd. for its COVID-19 pill molnupiravir in China.

Merck announced on Monday that it has signed a distribution agreement with a subsidiary of Sinopharm for the import and distribution of the COVID-19 pill molnupiravir in China at the 5th China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

This is a follow-up to the cooperation framework agreement that Mercer signed with Sinopharm at the end of September this year, which granted the Chinese drugmaker the distribution and exclusive import rights of molnupiravir in China.

Molnupiravir, an oral antiviral pill that inhibits coronavirus replication, was co-developed by Merck and Miami-based company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP.

Notably, to date, the drug has not been approved in China.