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Merck announces Molnupiravir reduced risk of death at a planned interim analysis of its Phase 3 trial

Through Day 29, no deaths were reported in patients who received molnupiravir, as compared to 8 deaths in patients who received placebo.

Merck, oral antiviral drug, molnupiravir, Phase 3 MOVe-OUT trial, USFDA
Molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50% at the interim analysis.

Merck recently announced that oral antiviral drug molnupiravir significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization or death at a planned interim analysis of the Phase 3 MOVe-OUT trial

At the interim analysis, molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50%; 7.3% of patients who received molnupiravir were either hospitalized or died through Day 29 following randomization (28/385), compared with 14.1% of placebo-treated patients (53/377); p=0.0012.

Through Day 29, no deaths were reported in patients who received molnupiravir, as compared to 8 deaths in patients who received placebo. At the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee and in consultation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recruitment into the study is being stopped early due to these positive results.

Merck plans to submit an application for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the US FDA as soon as possible based on these findings. It also plans to submit marketing applications to other regulatory bodies worldwide.

“More tools and treatments are urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become a leading cause of death and continues to profoundly affect patients, families, and societies and strain health care systems all around the world. With these compelling results, we are optimistic that molnupiravir can become an important medicine as part of the global effort to fight the pandemic and will add to Merck’s unique legacy of bringing forward breakthroughs in infectious diseases when they are needed most. Consistent with Merck’s unwavering commitment to save and improve lives, we will continue to work with regulatory agencies on our applications and do everything we can to bring molnupiravir to patients as quickly as possible,” said Robert M. Davis, chief executive officer and president, Merck.

“On behalf of all of us at Merck, I thank our network of clinical investigators and patients for their essential contributions to the development of molnupiravir,” he added.

“With the virus continuing to circulate widely, and because therapeutic options currently available are infused and/or require access to a healthcare facility, antiviral treatments that can be taken at home to keep people with COVID-19 out of the hospital are critically needed,” said Wendy Holman, chief executive officer of Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

“We are very encouraged by the results from the interim analysis and hope molnupiravir, if authorized for use, can make a profound impact in controlling the pandemic. Our partnership with Merck is critical to ensuring rapid global access if this medicine is approved, and we appreciate the collaborative effort to reach this important stage of development,” he added.

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First published on: 02-10-2021 at 18:28 IST