Merck says the study shows that COVID-19 drug causes rapid reduction of the virus

Merck & Co Inc, a U.S. drugmaker, said on Saturday that its experimental antiviral drug molnupiravir, which it is developing with Ridgeback Bio, showed a faster reduction in infectious virus in a phase 2a study among people with early COVID-19.

In a statement released by the companies, William Fischer, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said, “The secondary objective findings in this study, of a faster reduction of the infectious virus among individuals with early molnupiravir-treated COVID-19, are promising.”

The antiviral is currently being tested in a Phase 2/3 trial, which is expected to conclude in May.

Merck decided to focus on therapy following the failure of its two VOVID-19 vaccines to generate the desired immune response, which prompted Merck to abandon the program in January.