(Reuters) – US manufacturer Merck & Co Inc. said on Saturday that the experimental antiviral drug molnupiravir it is developing with Ridgeback Bio showed a faster reduction in the infectious virus in its phase 2 study among participants with COVID- 19 early.
“The secondary objective results of this study, of a more rapid decrease in infectious virus among individuals with early COVID-19 treated with molnupiravir, are promising,” said William Fischer, associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine. University of North Carolina, to a business statement.
The antiviral is currently being tested in a phase 2/3 trial that should be completed in May.
Merck decided to focus on therapy after its two COVID-19 vaccines failed to generate the desired immune responses, prompting it to abandon the program in January.
Report by Anna Maria Shibu in Bengaluru; Edited by Christian Schmollinger