Pfizer released data from several studies showing that nirmatrelvir, the active main protease inhibitor of the company’s antiviral combination therapy Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), is effective against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a study conducted by 23andMe and published in Nature Genetics identified a genetic risk factor tied to the loss of smell from COVID-19.
Novartis will license in a new drug it has been developing with Molecular Partners to treat Covid-19, the Swiss company said on January 10, after getting positive trial data.
India approved Merck’s Covid-19 pill and two more vaccines for emergency use as the world’s second most populous country braces for a possible spike in coronavirus cases due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.
Pardes Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing PBI-0451 as a novel direct-acting, oral antiviral drug candidate designed to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections, announced the completion of its business combination with FS Development Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Foresite Capital.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration greenlit Merck’s and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ molnupiravir under Emergency Use Authorization for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 infections in adults who are at high risk of progression to severe disease.
The United States on December 22 authorized Pfizer Inc.’s antiviral Covid-19 pill for people ages 12 and older at risk of severe illness, the first oral and at-home treatment as well as a new tool against the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir [PF-07321332] tablets and ritonavir tablets) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg [88 lbs]) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
Molnupiravir – the main component in Merck and Ridgeback Therapeutics’ Covid-19 oral pill – might not be safe for use in pregnant women, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The latest data from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ MOVe-OUT trial on the use of molnupiravir to treat COVID-19 in adults has shown a lower efficacy than previously reported.
Merck & Co. said on November 26 updated data from the company’s study of the experimental COVID-19 pill molnupiravir showed the drug was significantly less effective in cutting hospitalizations and deaths than previously reported.
