Tag Archives: Merck

CNBC reports: The Food and Drug Administration authorized on Thursday Merck’s antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 for emergency use, adding another tool to the nation’s arsenal to combat the virus. The FDA’s move comes a day after it authorized for another antiviral drug, from Pfizer. Merck’s treatment, known as molnupiravir and developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is cleared for …

Bloomberg News reports: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize a pair of pills from Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. to treat Covid-19 as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter — a milestone in the fight against the pandemic that will soon expand therapies for the ill. An announcement may come …

NBC News reports: A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend Merck’s experimental antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 for emergency use authorization, paving the way for the agency to clear the first oral drug for the disease. Members of the agency’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13-10 in favor of the treatment, called molnupiravir, for use in …

Reuters reports: The U.S. government will buy another $1 billion worth of the COVID-19 pill made by Merck & Co Inc and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, the companies said on Tuesday. The government in June agreed to buy 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir for $1.2 billion and is now exercising options to buy 1.4 million more. That brings the total secured …

Reuters reports: Britain on Thursday became the first country in the world to approve a potentially game-changing COVID-19 antiviral oral pill jointly developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, in a boost to the fight against the pandemic. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recommended that the drug, molnupiravir, be used as soon as possible following a positive COVID-19 …

NPR reports: U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. said it will license drugmakers worldwide to produce its potentially lifesaving antiviral pill for treatment of COVID-19 in adults. The drug, known as molnupiravir, has shown promise in treating the disease, and the agreement to license its production could help millions of people in the developing world gain access to it. Merck …

Bloomberg News reports: Merck & Co. and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP sought emergency use authorization in the U.S. for molnupiravir, moving the pill closer to becoming the first oral antiviral treatment for Covid-19. An application was submitted with the Food and Drug Administration for molnupiravir to treat mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults at risk of developing a severe illness that …

Axios reports: NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Sunday it is a “false narrative” to think that the coronavirus vaccines would become unnecessary if an antiviral drug announced by Merck receives federal approval. Fauci’s remarks on ABC’s “This Week,” come on the heels of the pharmaceutical company’s announcement on Friday that an oral antiviral treatment it is developing might reduce the …

CNBC reports: Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics plan to seek emergency authorization for their oral antiviral treatment for Covid-19, after the medicine showed “compelling results” in clinical trials. The drug, molnupiravir, reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% for patients with mild or moderate cases of Covid-19, the companies announced on Friday. Molnupiravir is administered orally and works …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden will announce Tuesday that pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. will help make Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine — an unusual pact between fierce competitors that could sharply boost the supply of the newly authorized vaccine, according to senior administration officials. Under the arrangement, Merck will dedicate two facilities in the United States to …

STAT News reports: Merck said Monday it will stop developing both of the current formulations of the Covid-19 vaccines the company was working on, citing inadequate immune responses to the shots. Work will continue on at least one of the vaccines, which is being developed in partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), to see if using a different …

USA Today reports: Earlier this week, Merck released the results of a small and early trial showing a prototype of a pin-sized implant could block HIV from infecting individuals for a full year. Through an upper-arm implant, the same device used to administer certain birth controls, doctors will likely be able to deliver “meaningful doses” of an experimental anti-HIV drug, …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the three chief executives who recently left his manufacturing council as “grandstanders.” Since Monday, three CEO have stepped down from their advisory roles. Merck’s Ken Frazier did so on Monday morning, followed by Under Armour’s Kevin Plank and Intel’s Brian Krzanich. Shortly after Trump’s tweet Tuesday, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance …

CNN Money reports: The chief executives of Merck, Under Armour and Intel all quit a presidential manufacturing council on Monday after Trump took two days to denounce white supremacy. Most notable was Kenneth Frazier of Merck, one of the most prominent black executives in the United States, who said the nation’s leaders “must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting …

The Hill reports: The chairman and CEO of Merck announced he was resigning from President Trump’s American Manufacturing Council. “Our country’s strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs,” Kenneth C. Frazier said in a statement. “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting …

The FDA has endorsed the vaccine Gardasil as a preventive for anal cancer in young men and women. The drug prevents certain strains of HPV (human papillomavirus) which are known to cause various vaginal, penile, and anal cancers. To be effective, the vaccine must be administered at a young age before sexual activity and HPV infection occurs. Men who have …

Here’s Project Runway’s Jack Mackenroth with his PSA for HIV treatment, made in partnership with Logo and Merck. More on the campaign here.

More disappointing news about Merck’s recently halted HIV vaccine study. The vaccine is made from a common cold virus with three synthetic HIV genes tucked inside. It’s designed to stimulate the immune system to kill any HIV-infected cells encountered in the future. However, the researchers found that volunteers with pre-existing immunity to this particular cold virus were much more likely …

Disappointing news. Merck has stopped its promising HIV vaccine trial, after more subjects who received the vaccine contracted the virus that those who got the dummy shots. Merck’s vaccine trial was the farthest along and most closely watched. The National Institute of Health, who partly funded the research, said that not only did the vaccine not prevent infection, it did …