Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Merck announced Friday it will ask the Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency use authorization for an anti-coronavirus drug that reduced hospitalizations by nearly 50% in clinical trials.
If approved, Molnupiravir, a joint effort between Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, would become the first orally taken antiviral medicine taken for COVID-19. In a Phase 3 study, 7.3% of patients taking Molnupiravir were hospitalized, while 14.1% of those taking a placebo had to be admitted to the hospital.