Merck’s COVID-19 Antiviral Drug Cuts Hospitalizations and Deaths by Half
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the disease, is meant for people hospitalized with COVID-19 and has to be administered intravenously. The three other antiviral drugs that have received emergency use authorization are also given via IV.
Based on the strongly positive results, Merck is stopping the trial early since the drug shows clear benefit. Merck will submit an application for EUA of the drug to the FDA and other regulatory bodies around the world soon. The analysis involved 775 patients from trial sites around the world, who took the pill or a placebo twice a day for five days. Molnupiravir works by blocking SARS-CoV-2 from copying its genetic material, which it needs to do in order to infect more cells.
According to a release from the company, Merck has already been manufacturing molnupiravir, in the hopes that the Phase 3 study would show it was both safe and efficacious. The company has already agreed to provide 1.7 million doses of molnupiravir to the U.S. government, pending authorization from the FDA. Merck has also entered into licensing agreements with generic manufacturers to make the drug for more than 100 low- and middle-income countries if it receives authorization there.
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