Merck to continue tests of Covid pill, but stop trial in hospitalized patients

Merck said Thursday that it has seen “encouraging” results in a clinical trial of an antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 early in the disease’s course. At the same time, the company said it will stop efforts to develop both that drug and a second medicine for patients who have already been hospitalized with the disease.

The drug giant licensed the anti-Covid pill, molnupiravir, from Ridgeback Biotherapeutics last July. In November, Merck spent $425 million to buy OncoImmune, in order to obtain an immune-modifying treatment that already seemed to have a benefit for patients hospitalized with Covid-19.

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