Merck's COVID-19 Pill works Against Omicron, Lab Studies Show

Merck & Co Inc MRK and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said six lab studies showed their investigational oral COVID-19 drug molnupiravir was active against the omicron variant.

• The data evaluated the antiviral activity of molnupiravir and other COVID-19 antiviral agents against COVID-19 variants of concern. 
• Molnupiravir is yet to be studied against Omicron in human studies.
• "Based on its mechanism of action, along with these new findings demonstrating in vitro activity across multiple variants, including Omicron, we anticipate that molnupiravir will continue to be active against variants of concern and an important tool in the fight against COVID-19," said Wendy Holman, CEO, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics
• To date, Merck has shipped molnupiravir to over 20 countries, including 2 million patient courses shipped to the U.S. Government. 
• To supplement the supply from licensed generic manufacturers, Merck entered an agreement with UNICEF to allocate up to 3 million courses of therapy to low- and middle-income countries through 1H of 2022.
• Price Action: MRK shares are down 0.36% at $80.29 during the market session on the last check Friday.