Phase III data on Merck & Co., Inc. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP's oral ribonucleoside analog molnupiravir are being hailed as a transformative event for the COVID-19 pandemic, since an oral antiviral therapy that can lessen disease severity could have more impact than the injectable/infused therapies that have come before it.
Merck’s Oral Antiviral Data In COVID-19 May Change Pandemic Outlook
Merck/Ridgeback’s ribonucleoside analog shows nearly 50% reduction of risk for hospitalization or death in Phase III study. Firms will seek EUA in US; a contract is in place for 1.7 million courses of therapy.
More from COVID-19
• By
Kostaive is the first self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to receive approval from the European Commission and could provide serious competition to Pfizer/BioNTech's Comirnaty and Moderna's Spikevax.
• By
A week after a downbeat forecast at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the US mRNA specialist has pocketed another sizeable sum from the US Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate development of an H5N1 mRNA pandemic influenza vaccine.
• By
Pfizer’s and Moderna’s quarterly pandemic-related product sales could not mask other weaknesses while GSK’s quarter was marred by unimpressive non-pandemic vaccines sales.
• By
Japanese distributor Meiji Seika Pharma is considering possible legal action against what it views as online slander around COVID-19 vaccine Kostaive, which received its global-first approval in Japan last year and has now been launched for regular vaccination in the country.
More from Scrip
• By
As drugmakers update investors on first quarter financial performance, uncertainty around global trade and US regulatory oversight is likely to dominate discussions.
• By
Faced with Trump’s hostile tariff moves, the UK aims to speed up clinical trial start times to support its pharma sector and invest £600m in a new health data research service.
• By
The biotech has rejected a takeover bid from Nordic Capital but a sale to private equity could be a solution to the public market's continued reluctance to adequately value PureTech’s hub-and-spoke business model.