WHO says antiviral is good news as it waits for data

Merck’s announcement that its experimental antiviral pill is effective against the most serious consequences of Covid-19 is “certainly good news,” a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday, as the agency international awaits data from clinical trials on the drug.

“We look forward to receiving the data from them,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical manager for Covid, said in a virtual question-and-answer session. “I think everyone wants treatment earlier so that we prevent people from getting, you know, this serious condition and dying from the disease.”

The U.S. drug maker said on Friday that the drug – known as molnupiravir – had been shown in a phase three trial to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50% for adults with mild to moderate cases of Covid. It works by inhibiting the replication of the virus inside the body.

Unlike remdesivir, an intravenous drug from Gilead Sciences, molnupiravir from Merck can be taken by mouth. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it would be the first pill to treat Covid, a potentially revolutionary breakthrough in the fight against the virus, which on average kills more than 1,700 Americans per day.

While vaccinations remain the best form of protection against the virus, health experts hope that a pill like Merck’s will prevent the disease from progressing in those who are infected and prevent trips to the hospital.

Pills like those from Merck are seen as a sort of “holy grail” for treatment, said Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergency program. He said the agency was still waiting to see raw data from clinical trials on the drug.

“If you can stop the virus before it makes someone very sick, then that is a game-changer,” he said.

Other drug makers are also working on antiviral pills. A pill developed by Pfizer, which developed the first Covid vaccine authorized in the United States with BioNTech, could be available by the end of this year, CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC in April.

Ryan also said world leaders and public health officials should also think about how much the drug could cost patients. According to the New York Times, a five-day course of the drug will cost the federal government about $ 700 per patient, one-third of the current cost of monoclonal antibodies.

“The cost of treating millions of people early could come at a significant cost and perhaps be worth the investment, but we have to see how it works,” Ryan said.