Merck MRK, +1.79% and privately held Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said Friday they will present data showing that treatment with their COVID-19 antiviral ended infectious illness more rapidly than placebo in a late-stage trial. Data on the treatment, called molnupiravir in the U.S., will be presented at the 2022 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, the companies said in a joint statement. The Food and Drug Administration granted authorization to molnupiravir in December along with an antiviral developed by Pfizer Inc. PFE, -0.39%, although it said molnupiravir should only be used if there are no other treatment options available. That was after the Pfizer pill was found to cut the risk of severe disease by 88%, far more than the 30% shown by molnupiravir. Merck and Ridgeback said the data are the final analyses evaluating outcomes throughout and following a five-day course as part of a Phase 3 trial called MOVe-OUT. Merck shares were down 0.4% premarke but have gained 12% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 SPX, +0.34% has gained 13%.
