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Merck said an independent board of experts monitoring its clinical trial recommended that the trial be stopped early because the drug’s benefit to patients had proved so convincing. Roughly half of those deaths occurred this year, even as vaccines became widely available. Merck said on Friday that it expected to be able to make enough pills for 10 million people by the end of this year, though it is unclear how many of those doses would go to the United States or other countries.Ĭovid has killed nearly 700,000 Americans. government has ordered means that only a small fraction of those who fall ill from Covid are likely to be able to receive the treatment, at least initially. The limited number of doses that the U.S. The drug is meant to be taken as four capsules twice a day for five days - a total of 40 pills over the course of treatment. Doctors will prescribe the treatment to patients, who will receive the pills from pharmacies. The Merck drug - named for Mjölnir, the hammer wielded by the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology - is designed to stop the coronavirus from replicating by inserting errors into its genetic code.
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The results of clinical trials of two other antiviral pills, one developed by Pfizer and the other from Atea Pharmaceuticals and Roche, are expected in the next few months. “It can prevent you from getting Covid in the first place, and we want to prevent infections - not just treat them when they happen.” Vaccination “remains far and away our best tool against Covid-19,” he said. “The right way to think about this is this is a potential additional tool in our toolbox to protect people from the worst outcomes of Covid,” said Jeff Zients, a White House coronavirus adviser. Despite the growing number of governments and companies mandating vaccines, only 56 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. White House officials hailed the strong trial data on Friday, but they noted that the antiviral pills were no substitute for more Americans getting vaccinated. Robert Shafer, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University. “I think it will translate into many thousands of lives being saved worldwide, where there’s less access to monoclonal antibodies, and in this country, too,” said Dr. They have the potential to reach more people than the antibody treatments that are being widely used in the United States for high-risk patients. Merck’s drug would be the first pill to treat Covid-19 it is likely to be followed by a number of other antiviral pills that other companies are racing to bring to market. The pills could be available by late this year.
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Merck said it would seek emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its drug, known as molnupiravir, as soon as possible. The strong results suggest that a new wave of effective and easy-to-use treatments for Covid will gradually become available in the United States, though supply is likely to be limited at first. The drug maker Merck said on Friday that its pill to treat Covid-19 was shown in a key clinical trial to halve the risk of hospitalization or death when given to high-risk people early in their infections. It can prevent you from getting Covid in the first place, and we want to prevent infections, not just wait to treat them once they happen.” But I think it’s really important to remember that vaccination, as we’ve talked about today, remains far and away our best tool against Covid-19.
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If approved, I think the right way to think about this is, this is a potential additional tool in our toolbox to protect people from the worst outcomes of Covid. The government also has an option for some additional doses. And then it will be taken from there because once a recommendation is made, then we go through the same process of getting the recommendation for its usage through the C.D.C.” “The federal government has contracted to purchase 1.7 million doses to make this therapy available. will look at the data and in their usual, very efficient and effective way, will examine the data as quickly as they possibly can. We always hesitate to make any timelines. That’s also very important, and very good news. There was a 50 percent diminution - of importance is that in the placebo group, there were eight deaths and in the treatment group, there were no deaths. The company, when they briefed us last night, had mentioned that they will be submitting their data to the F.D.A. “The news of the efficacy of this particular antiviral is obviously very good news. Transcript Merck Antiviral Pill’s Clinical Trial Success Is ‘Good News,’ Fauci Says Health officials said the drug could provide an effective way to treat Covid-19, but stressed that vaccines remained the best tool to prevent infections.