Merck to Supply U.S. With Oral Covid-19 Treatment

 Merck & Co. Inc. will supply molnupiravir, an oral antiviral medication intended to treat mild to moderate Covid-19, to the U.S. government in a new procurement agreement, Merck said Wednesday.

The Kenilworth, N.J.-based pharmaceutical company said the drug is being evaluated in a Phase 3 trial to treat nonhospitalized Covid-19 patients who have a risk factor associated with a poor disease outcome.

If molnupiravir gets an emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, Merck would receive $1.2 billion to supply about 1.7 million courses of the drug to the U.S. government. Merck said it expects to have more than 10 million courses of the therapy available by the end of 2021.

Merck is developing molnupiravir with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/merck-to-supply-u-s-with-oral-covid-19-treatment-271623236860