Therapy Areas: Infectious Diseases
Lab studies indicate Merck's COVID-19 drug works against virus variants
30 September 2021 -

US pharmaceutical company Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) has said that laboratory studies have indicated that its experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be effective against known variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, Reuters news agency reported on Thursday.

Jay Grobler, head of infectious disease and vaccines at Merck, stated that since molnupiravir does not target the spike protein of the virus -- the target of all current COVID-19 vaccines -- which defines the differences between the variants, the drug should be equally effective as the virus continues to evolve.

According to Merck, data shows that the drug is most effective when given early in the course of infection.

Login
Username:

Password: