Another effective weapon against Covid-19 could soon be added. This is the pill produced by Merck, molnupiravir, which would reduce the risk of death and hospitalization in the most frail patients by 50%. This was revealed by the first results that emerged from clinical trials.
The American pharmaceutical giant saw the stock jump about 7% after the announcement on the results of the tests. Now Merck, along with partners at Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, will seek emergency use authorization in both the United States and other regulatory agencies around the world.
The news had a negative impact on the shares of the pharmaceutical companies that produce anti-Covid vaccines (the -9% of Moderna stands out today), which evidently see increasing competition. If licensed, molnupiravir would be the first oral coronavirus drug.