Merck says Covid pill 'active' against Omicron variant

WASHINGTON, Jan 29, 2022 (AFP) - Merck's anti-Covid pill remains “active” against the Omicron variant, the US drugmaker said Friday, citing results from six laboratory studies.

The oral treatment, called molnupiravir, is taken within five days of symptom onset and was shown in a pre-Omicron trial of 1,400 participants to reduce Covid hospitalisations and deaths by 30 percent among at-risk people.

The latest in vitro studies, based on cellbased assays, were conducted independently by researchers in six countries: Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands and the United States.

The results show “that molnupiravir has consistent antiviral activity against Omicron, the primary variant circulating globally,” said Dr. Dean Y Li, the president of Merck Research Laboratories, in a statement.

These findings “provide additional confidence in the potential of molnupiravir as an important treatment option for certain adults with mild to moderate Covid-19 who are at high risk for progressing to severe disease,” he said.

The effectiveness of molnupiravir against Omicron has yet to be evaluated in clinical trials, said Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.

The treatment, sometimes marketed under the name Lagevrio, has been approved in more than 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.