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The
Merck
logo is
seen at
a gate
to the
Merck &
Co
campus
in
Rahway,
New
Jersey,
U.S.,
July 12,
2018.
(REUTERS/Brendan
McDermid) |
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Alisson
Argueta,
8, is
given a
coronavirus
disease
(COVID-19)
test at
a
back-to-school
clinic
in South
Gate,
Los
Angeles,
California,
U.S.,
August
12,
2021.
(REUTERS/Lucy
Nicholson/File
Photo) |
| |
Merck
seeks
first
U.S.
authorization
for
COVID-19
pill
reuters.com
RAHWAY,
NJ -
Merck &
Co Inc
(MRK.N)
said on
Monday
it has
applied
for U.S.
emergency
use
authorization
for its
drug to
treat
mild-to-moderate
patients
of
COVID-19,
putting
it on
course
to
become
the
first
oral
antiviral
medication
for the
disease.
An
authorization
from the
U.S.
Food and
Drug
Administration
could
help
change
clinical
management
of
COVID-19
as the
pill can
be taken
at home.
The
treatment,
molnupiravir,
cut the
rate of
hospitalization
and
death by
50% in a
trial of
mild-to-moderately
ill
patients
who had
at least
one risk
factor
for the
disease,
according
to data
released
earlier
this
month.
The
interim
efficacy
data on
the
drug,
developed
with
Ridgeback
Biotherapeutics,
had
heavily
dented
the
shares
of
COVID-19
vaccine
makers
and set
off a
scramble
among
nations,
including
Malaysia,
South
Korea
and
Singapore,
to sign
a supply
deal
with
Merck.
The
drugmaker
has a
U.S.
government
contract
to
supply
1.7
million
courses
at a
price of
$700 per
course.
Merck
expects
to
produce
10
million
courses
of the
treatment
by the
end of
2021.
It
has also
agreed
to
license
the drug
to
several
India-based
generic
drugmakers,
which
are
expected
to
supply
the
treatment
to more
than 100
low- and
middle-income
countries.
Gilead
Sciences
Inc's
(GILD.O)
infused
antiviral
remdesivir
is
generally
given
only
once a
patient
is
hospitalized.
Monoclonal
antibody
drugs
from
Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals
Inc
(REGN.O)
and Eli
Lilly
(LLY.N),
which
are
typically
infused
as well,
have so
far seen
only
limited
use due
to the
difficulty
in
administering
them.
Merck's
shares
opened
roughly
1%
higher
before
paring
some
gains to
trade at
$81.32.
Reporting
by Manas
Mishra
and
Leroy
Leo in
Bengaluru;
Editing
by Arun
Koyyur
Our
Standards:
The
Thomson
Reuters
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Principles.
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