The data will be at the center of a discussion by US Food and Drug Administration advisers
Merck & Co says updated results show its Covid-19 pill reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 30% in adults with mild to moderate illness, less than previously estimated and much lower than previous estimates. with rival treatments from Pfizer Inc.
Shares of Merck fell 3.4% to $79.46 in pre-opening trading, reversing earlier gains, while Pfizer was up 5.9%.
Nine deaths were reported in the placebo group and one in the treated group, called molnupiravir.
The data will be at the heart of Tuesday’s discussion by US Food and Drug Administration advisers about its use to treat Covid in high-risk patients.
Merck sought US authorization for molnupiravir, also known as Lagevrio, in October after a late-stage study found it reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50% in patients who high risk. Another drug, Pfizer’s Paxlovid, was submitted for consideration for the same population after showing an 89% reduction.
With regulatory approval, Merck and Pfizer’s drug could potentially surpass monoclonal antibody-infused drugs from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co., which are more expensive and harder to use.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
.
