Denmark on Thursday approved an antiviral COVID-19 drug produced by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for at-risk patients with symptoms, including the elderly. The Scandinavian country became the first in the European Union to approve the antiviral treatment called molnupiravir. The pill is still under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). “We are recommending the pill…
FDA Advisers Vote to Recommend Merck COVID-19 Pill for Emergency Use Authorization
Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday narrowly voted to recommend the agency grant emergency use authorization (EUA) for a drug from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to treat COVID-19, called molnupiravir. Members of the FDA’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13 for and 10 against the EUA for molnupiravir, agreeing with…
New Analysis Shows Merck’s COVID-19 Antiviral Treatment Has Lower Efficacy
A new analysis of clinical trial results shows that Merck’s antiviral pill for treating COVID-19 is significantly less effective than previously reported in October, the company announced on Friday. In the updated report, the drugmaker said its antiviral treatment drug, which is called molnupiravir, showed a 30 percent reduction in hospitalizations and deaths from the…
EU Recommends Merck COVID-19 Pill for Adults at Risk of Severe Illness
The European Union’s drug regulator on Friday advised that an experimental COVID-19 pill from Merck should be given within five days of first symptoms to treat adults who do not need oxygen support and are at risk of their disease worsening. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said the pill, developed along with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, should…
Will Pfizer Outgun Merck With Oral COVID-19 Pill?
Merck Inc. is locking horns with peer Pfizer Inc. in what could be termed as the battle supremacy in the COVID-19 treatment market. The stakes are high, with an effective treatment for the disease potentially entering the arena in addition to the vaccines that are already on the market. Pfizer Dips Into COVID-19 Treatment Arena…
WHO Says Seeks More Data From Merck on COVID-19 Anti-Viral, From Bharat on Vaccine
GENEVA—The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it was seeking further data from Merck on its experimental new antiviral COVID-19 pill and hoped to issue guidance in coming weeks regarding its use for mild and moderate cases. “This is a drug that we are currently evaluating and we met with Merck on Friday…
Merck Raises Full-Year Profit Target After Cancer Drug Sales Help Third-Quarter Beat
Merck & Co. Inc. raised its full-year adjusted profit forecast on Thursday, after strong demand for its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda and recovery in sales of its non-COVID-19 vaccines helped it beat third-quarter profit estimates. Sales of vaccines and physician-administered drugs have started to improve as hospitals and clinics adapt to the pandemic, helping Merck,…
Merck to Let Other Drug Companies Make Its COVID-19 Pill Under New Agreement
Merck has reached an agreement that will let other drug makers produce its COVID-19 pill, though many countries are excluded from the pact. Merck and the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool announced the agreement, saying it would help broaden access to the treatment in 105 low- and middle-income countries. The pool will be allowed to…
Merck Asks EU Regulator to Authorize Pill That Treats COVID-19
AMSTERDAM—The pharmaceutical company Merck says it has asked the European Medicines Agency to authorize its COVID-19 antiviral treatment, the first pill that has been shown to treat the disease. In a statement on Monday, Merck said the EU drug regulator had started an expedited licensing process for molnupiravir. If given the green light, it would…
Gates Foundation to Fund $120 Million of Oral COVID-19 Drug for Poor Nations
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in its COVID-19 response, will fund up to $120 million to increase access to an experimental drug for lower-income countries, which will be used in treating COVID-19, the foundation announced on Tuesday. The funding will support efforts to develop and make generic versions of what could become the first oral…
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