Molnupiravir
A drug like molnupiravir (the name is a reference to Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir) could also help compensate for persistent gaps in Covid-19 vaccination coverage, both in the United States and abroad - Umair Irfan
image by: Ideas Of Conscience
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How Merck's antiviral pill could change the game for COVID-19
A new drug by Merck significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death in people who take it early in the course of their COVID-19 illness, according to the interim results of a major study released today. It is the first oral antiviral found to be effective against this coronavirus.
People who took this drug, called molnupiravir—four pills twice a day for five days—within five days of showing symptoms were about half as likely to be hospitalized as those taking the placebo. They were also less likely to die, with eight deaths in the placebo group reported within a month of treatment and none in those who received the medicine.
“Having a pill that would be easy…
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Why New Pills to Treat Covid Could Be Game Changers: QuickTake
The U.K. has become the first country in the world to approve an antiviral pill by Merck & Co. that has been touted as a potential game changer in the fight against Covid-19. The drug, molnupiravir, is now authorized for use in people with mild to moderate Covid and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness.
Molnupiravir for Oral Treatment of Covid-19 in Nonhospitalized Patients
Early treatment with molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in at-risk, unvaccinated adults with Covid-19.
Timing Is Everything for Merck’s COVID Pill
The drug, molnupiravir, is named after Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. But its power depends on reaching the right people, in the right time frame.
How antiviral pill molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt
The Merck pill, which could become the first oral antiviral COVID treatment, forces the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to mutate itself to death.
Meet molnupiravir, Merck’s Thor-inspired pill that hammers COVID
In Phase III trial, the drug smashed hospitalization and death rate by about half.
Merck and Ridgeback’s molnupiravir rollout difficult to map in uncertain Covid-19 landscape
Questions about oral molnupiravir's deployment still loom large as clinicians await crucial late-stage trial results.
Merck Stock Up On Molnupiravir, But Don't Get Too Excited
Molnupiravir results are striking for very early treatment, but this doesn't compare with vaccination; the time window for effect is short and the trial was mostly with unvaccinated people.
Merck’s antiviral pill reduces hospitalization of Covid patients, a possible game-changer for treatment
“You think of all the people that could benefit from it and all the people that are in your life that you wish could have benefited from it,” Li said.
Merck’s Little Brown Pill Could Transform the Fight Against Covid
Molnupiravir doesn’t stop the virus from replicating, though; instead, the drug introduces errors into the virus’s RNA that are then replicated until it’s defunct.
What we know — and don’t know — about Merck’s new Covid-19 pill
The announcement that a pill from Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics kept Covid patients out of the hospital made headlines and moved stocks late last week. But as is so often true when data are released by press release, there are still many questions left unanswered.
What You Need to Know About Merck’s New Covid Treatment Pill
The pills are effective and relatively cheap, but they are unlikely to be available for everyone with Covid.
Why Merck’s Celebrated Covid Pill Could Be Riskier Than People Think
Investors saw Merck’s pill as a pandemic panacea that would sit in everyone’s medicine cabinet, he says, adding, “that’s just not going to be the case with this drug.”
Why Merck’s Covid-19 pill molnupiravir could be so important
A drug like molnupiravir (the name is a reference to Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir) could also help compensate for persistent gaps in Covid-19 vaccination coverage, both in the United States and abroad.
How Merck's antiviral pill could change the game for COVID-19
People who took this drug, called molnupiravir—four pills twice a day for five days—within five days of showing symptoms were about half as likely to be hospitalized as those taking the placebo. They were also less likely to die, with eight deaths in the placebo group reported within a month of treatment and none in those who received the medicine.
Merck Says It Has the First Antiviral Pill Found to Be Effective Against Covid
The drug maker will seek authorization for molnupiravir, the first drug of its kind for Covid. Experts said such pills could be a powerful tool against the virus.
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