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Everest Organics begins manufacturing API for molnupiravir

Molnupiravir photo courtesy of Merck.

Bengaluru, India–based Everest Organics (BOM:524790) saw its share price jump 15% today to ₹347.10 after announcing it has begun manufacturing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for a molnupiravir generic.

Molnupiravir is an experimental oral drug that appears to substantially reduce the rate of COVID-19-related hospitalization for patients with mild-to-moderate infections.

Reuters has reported that molnupiravir developer Merck (NYSE:MRK) has agreements with multiple Indian companies related to the manufacture of the drug.

Merck partnered with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in developing molnupiravir, which scientists with ties to Emory University initially discovered.

“After the successful development and commercialization of various COVID-19 drugs, such as Oseltamivir, Remdesivir, [and] Posaconazole, Everest Organics Limited is on its path of …

Early safety concerns accompanied Merck’s molnupiravir, the first potential oral COVID-19 therapy

The antiviral molnupiravir appears to be destined to become the first oral treatment for COVID-19. Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics intend to file for emergency use authorization after announcing that the drug appears to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50%.

One potential hurdle for the drug is whether unvaccinated individuals will accept the treatment, given their higher likelihood of contracting severe COVID-19. According to McKinsey, unvaccinated individuals tend to be most concerned about the potential of COVID-19 vaccines to cause long-term side effects.

The lack of long-term safety data concerning molnupiravir could be an obstacle for skeptical patients. That’s especially the case given early conclusions that there are “persistent side-effect concerns with mutagenic molnupiravir,” as a Clinical Trials Arena article observed. That article goes on to cite Ron Swanstrom, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chap…

Merck finds molnupiravir cuts COVID-19 hospitalization rate in half

The oral antiviral molnupiravir from Merck (NYSE:MRK) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics fared well in a planned interim analysis of the Phase 3 MOVe-OUT trial.

If authorized by FDA, the pill would be the first oral antiviral for SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S.

To date, all authorized or approved COVID-19 drugs require subcutaneous, intramuscular or intravenous administration.

Merck intends to file an EUA for the oral therapy soon.

“With these compelling results, we are optimistic that molnupiravir can become an important medicine as part of the global effort to fight the pandemic and will add to Merck’s unique legacy of bringing forward breakthroughs in infectious diseases when they are needed most,” Merck CEO Robert M. Davis said in a statement.

The molnupiravir study focused on initially non-hospitalized adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. It found that 7.3% of molnupiravir recipients were hospitalized within 29 days. By contrast, 14.1% of placebo …