Oral Drug Likely Effective Against COVID-19: REPORT

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Pharmaceutical company Merck announced on Friday that it will seek worldwide approval for its drug COVID-19, which halves hospitalizations and deaths among people recently infected with COVID-19, multiple sources reported.

The company said its new drug, molnupiravir, targets the enzyme that allows the virus to replicate by making errors in the genetic code of the virus, Reuters reported. If approved, it will be the first COVID-19 treatment in pill form, according to the Associated Press.

Other COVID-19 treatments target the spike protein that is used to differentiate between variants, Reuters reported.

A recent study by Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics showed that patients who took molnupiravir within five days of expressing symptoms of COVID-19 had about half the hospitalization rate compared to those who took took the placebo, according to the AP.

“This is a very nice observation because it gives us assurance that it will work the same for all variants that already exist, and potentially against any new variants that may emerge,” Jay Grobler, head of infectious diseases and diseases. vaccines at Merck, Bloomberg reported. (RELATED: COVID-19 Third Shot Has Similar Side Effects to Second Jab, CDC Reports)

The drug is in the final stages of testing which is expected to end in November, according to Bloomberg. Merck is developing drug with help from Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for outpatient COVID-19 patients.

“These in vitro data suggest that molnupitravir is effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variant, particularly when initiated early in the disease,” a Merck spokesperson told The Hill. “We hope that molnupiravir can play a key role in helping patients and reducing the burden on health systems.

Merck isn’t the only company exploring treatments for severe cases of COVID-19, according to the Hill. Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as Swiss healthcare company Roche, have all said they are testing a drug in pill form to treat more severe cases of the virus.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated.

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