(Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co. Inc. on Saturday said the experimental antiviral drug molnupiravir it was developing with Ridgeback Bio showed a faster reduction in infectious virus in its Phase 2a study among participants with early COVID-19.
“The secondary objective findings in this study, of a faster decrease in infectious virus among individuals with early COVID-19 treated with molnupiravir, are promising,” said William Fischer, associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in a statement from the companies.
The antiviral drug is currently being tested in a phase 2/3 trial that will be completed in May.
Merck decided to concentrate on therapy after his two COVID-19 vaccines failed to elicit the desired immune responses, prompting him to abandon the program in January.
Reported by Ann Maria Shibu in Bengaluru; Edited by Christian Schmollinger