Merck’s Covid-19 pill Molnupiravir only 30% effective in final analysis
The pharmaceutical company Merck said on Friday that in a final analysis of a clinical trial, its antiviral pill molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization and death among high-risk Covid patients by 30 percent, down from an earlier estimate of 50 percent.
The lower efficacy is a disappointment for the drug, known as molnupiravir, which health officials around the world are counting on as a critical tool to save lives and reduce the burden on hospitals. It increases the importance of a similar, apparently more effective, offering from Pfizer that is also under review by the Food and Drug Administration.
Image by Mahmoud Ahmed from Pixabay
** This post was originally published on November 27, 2021 **
