“Molnupiravir”: Another beacon of hope in the fight against the coronavirus. The drug from the US manufacturer Merck is said to cut the risk of severe disease in half.
Washington – Good news in the fight against the coronavirus *. The US pharmaceutical company Merck wants to apply for emergency approval for its corona drug molnupiravir in the USA. According to a clinical study, it significantly reduces the likelihood of very severe courses in high-risk patients.
Corona drug from Merck is to be approved “as soon as possible”
This was announced by the group, also known as MSD, on Friday (October 1st). You want to try as soon as possible for the operation in the USA and also submit corresponding applications to authorities worldwide. The medicine is given as a pill. “We are optimistic that molnupiravir can become an important drug as part of the global effort to fight the pandemic,” said Merck CEO Robert Davis.
Corona drug from Merck: Fauci speaks of “impressive” data from the study
The US health expert Anthony Fauci spoke of the effectiveness of “very good news”. US President’s advisor Joe Biden announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review the “impressive” data from the study as soon as possible.
White House corona coordinator Jeff Zientz said the government had already signed a contract to supply 1.7 million cans if approved. Zientz said the drug could be “a potential additional tool in our tool kit” to protect against the worst effects of Covid disease *. By far the best means in the fight against the pandemic are still the corona vaccinations *.
Corona drug from Merck: risk of severe disease halved
Merck explained that in the study, corona patients with mild to moderate symptoms who were treated with a placebo had to go to hospital in 14.1 percent of cases within 29 days or died. In the group of patients who were treated with the drug molnupiravir, 7.3 percent were only about half as many.
The numbers are based on an evaluation of the data from 775 corona patients *. All subjects had at least one risk factor that makes a severe course likely. In the test group that received the Merck drug, there were no deaths during the study period, the company said. In contrast, eight people who received the placebo died. Merck shares temporarily jumped around eight percent in pre-trading on Friday.
Remdesivir is the only officially approved corona drug in the EU. However, some others are already being used, such as dexamethasone and antibody drugs. (ph / dpa / afp) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
