Topline
Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization by over 65% in a clinical trial conducted by their Indian partner Hetero, the company said Saturday, in what could be a boost for the treatment after poor results in earlier trials.
A doctor in Bari, Italy holds a molnupiravir pill.
Donato Fasano/Getty Images
Key Facts
Researchers compared outcomes for 1,218 patients who were given Hetero’s generic version of molnupiravir after testing positive for Covid against patients who receivedtypical medical care, measuring hospitalization rates after 14 days.
Patients taking molnupiravir showed significant clinical improvement within five days and returned negative Covid tests earlier, researchers found.
Hetero entered into a deal with Merck to produce Movfor, a generic form of molnupiravir, expanding access to the drug in India, where it was granted an emergency use authorization in December, Merck said.
Merck plans to produce at least 20 million courses of molnupiravir in 2022, the company said.
Key Background
Initial trial results for molnupiravir were underwhelming, with a study published in November estimating its effectiveness at just 30%. These disappointing results led France to publicly cancel an order for the drug in December, instead choosing to rely on Pfizer’s competing anti-viral pill Paxlovid, which was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% The European Medicines Agency, which granted conditional marketing authorization for Paxlovid in November, may choose not to authorize molnupiravir due to “problematic data,” the Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. Nonetheless, molnupiravir has been authorized for use in the U.K. and in the U.S., which purchased about 3.1 million courses for about $2.2 billion, Merck said. Merck produced 10 million courses of molnupiravir in 2021 and plans to produce at least 20 million courses in 2022. Authorizing oral Covid-19 treatments is a “very important step” in ending the pandemic, said U.S. Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci. Hospitals and pharmacies in Michigan, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island reported running low on the drugs in January, during a winter surge of the virus.
Contra
Some experts worry that antiviral pills might discourage people from being vaccinated. One in eight people participating in a City University of New York study said they would rather be treated with a pill than be vaccinated—a “high number,” study lead Scott Ratzan told Reuters.
Further Reading
Some experts worry that antiviral pills might discourage people from being vaccinated. One in eight people participating in a City University of New York study said they would rather be treated with a pill than be vaccinated—a “high number,” study lead Scott Ratzan told Reuters.
