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Benzinga
Benzinga
Technology
Vandana Singh

Merck - Ridgeback's COVID-19 Antiviral Shows Rapid Elimination Of Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Than Placebo

  • Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics will present data evaluating Lagevrio (molnupiravir), an oral COVID-19 antiviral, at the 2022 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.
  • The presentation includes final analyses evaluating virologic outcomes throughout and following a five-day course of molnupiravir as part of the Phase 3 MOVe-OUT trial.
  • At Day 3 of treatment, among patients with the infectious virus at baseline, infectious SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 0.0% (n=0/92) of patients who received molnupiravir, compared with 21.8% (n=20/96) of patients who received placebo. 
  • At Day 5, infectious virus was detected in 0.0% (n=0/91) of patients in the molnupiravir arm compared with 2.2% (n=2/89) in the placebo arm. 
  • Related: WHO Conditionally Recommends Merck's COVID-19 Antiviral Pill For High-Risk Patients.
  • At Day 10, no infectious virus was detected in either arm for patients with the contagious virus at baseline. 
  • Molnupiravir is being evaluated for post-exposure prophylaxis in the MOVe-AHEAD Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of molnupiravir in preventing the spread of COVID-19 within households.
  • Price Action: MRK shares are up 0.55% at $82.50 during the market session on the last check Friday.
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