More promising preclinical data for oral COVID-19 antiviral from Ridgeback, Merck

A Nature study published Tuesday provides the most compelling preclinical evidence to date that an oral antiviral being developed by Merck and Ridgeback could be a potent outpatient and prophylactic treatment for COVID-19.

The paper from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers showed molnupiravir (MK-4482, EIDD-2801) reduced the number of infectious viral particles by >25,000-fold in mice implanted with human lung tissue when treatment was started 24 hours post-exposure to SARS-CoV-2. When the nucleoside inhibitor was administered prophylactically, viral titers were reduced >100,000-fold...