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.
Quanterix partners with leading health networks for Alzheimer's diagnosis advancements
Precision BioSciences reports FDA pre-IND feedback for PBGENE-HBV
VBI to sell manufacturing capabilities and enter new license agreement with Brii Biosciences
Ondine Biomedical's Steriwave shows promise in nasal pathogen reduction
BioSenic expands patent coverage for ATO therapeutic platform
PacBio unveils Nanobind PanDNA kit for enhanced DNA extraction solutions
Sequentify receives funding from Israel Innovation Authority
INOVIO plans BLA submission for INO-3107 as RRP treatment
ImmunityBio secures USD320m investment from Oberland Capital
Poolbeg Pharma prioritises promising RSV drug candidates identified through AI-led analysis
GHIT fund invests JPY500m in antimalarial drug clinical trial
AstraZeneca agrees acquisition of Icosavax
Versameb names new chairman of the board
Kling Bio appoints Dr Stefano Gullà as chief scientific officer