Reportedly, Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) COVID-19 antiviral drug, molnupiravir, has been found to accelerate recovery from the virus, but does not reduce hospitalization or death rates in higher-risk, vaccinated adults, according to detailed data from a large study. The drug prevents the virus from replicating and was originally found to be 30% effective in reducing hospitalizations in unvaccinated patients. As per the latest study, nearly all of the more than 25,000 patients had received at least three vaccine doses. As a result, researchers found that the drug did not offer any additional benefit in terms of reducing hospitalizations and deaths, but was effective in reducing viral load and could help to hasten patient recovery by around four days.
The drug, which is estimated to cost several hundred pounds for a five-day course, may still be useful in certain circumstances, such as in under-pressure healthcare systems where it could be used to help key workers return to work faster. However, its benefits cannot be weighed against its cost. The findings of the study are less applicable to the highest-risk patients, as extremely clinically vulnerable patients were encouraged to access COVID-19 treatment directly from the UK’s National Health Service and were not included in the study.
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) is a global healthcare solutions provider that has been working towards bringing forward medicine and vaccines for some of the world’s most challenging diseases for more than a century. They are committed to increasing healthcare access and continue to be at the leading edge of research. Merck has the industry’s largest immuno-oncology clinical research program. To learn more about Merck (MRK) and to track its ongoing progress please visit the Vista Partners Merck Coverage Page.
If you liked this story please consider, visiting the Atossa Therapeutics (ATOS) dedicated page at Vista Partners to learn about the Seattle-based biotech firm’s work toward finding therapeutic treatments for Breast Cancer and the Coronavirus.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Fertility rates have hit a record low in the United States. The latest US government fertility statistics come from 2019, and they estimate there were 58.2 births year per 1,000 women of childbearing age (defined by the CDC as women between ages 15 and 44).
If you have ever struggled with infertility issues, or know someone who has, you are probably well aware of how demoralizing it can be. Imagine for a moment spending thousands of dollars and months of intensive medical procedure only to end up empty handed, exhausted, sad, and defeated because after all of that time, work, and money, you still don’t have a baby. That’s an incredibly difficult situation, and it’s becoming more common each passing year. Likewise, the need for more effective, less invasive infertility treatment options is increasing with each passing year. This is the sole focus of medtech company INVO Bioscience (NASDAQ: INVO). Learn more by reading the following story that we published recently.
