US to shell out $1.2B for supplies of Merck's potential Covid-19 antiviral
Pending positive Phase III results, the US government said early Wednesday that it will pay Merck $1.2 billion for about 1.7 million courses of its Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir.
Merck, which is developing molnupiravir in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is awaiting the results from its late-stage trial on whether the antiviral reduces the risk of hospitalization or death, and plans to file for an Emergency Use Authorization before the end of this year. The trial plans to enroll 1,850 patients globally with final data on the 5-day treatment courses expected this fall, according to HHS.
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