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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A panel of health experts appointed by the US government voted Tuesday to endorse Merck’s Covid pill for high-risk adult patients who are within five days of experiencing their first symptoms. There were 13 votes in favor and 10 against, a narrow margin that reflected concerns about a recent downgrading of the treatment’s efficacy results and fears over its potential harms. © Agence France-Presse
An anti-Covid pill developed by Merck has proved effective in treating the disease, the US Food and Drug Administration said Friday in a much-awaited preliminary report. But the report, from an FDA advisory panel, cautioned that pregnant women should not use the drug, known as molnupiravir, saying the potential benefits do not outweigh the risks for those patients. The report is meant to provide guidance to an FDA experts panel convening Tuesday to consider whether […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US pharmaceutical giant Merck has vowed to avoid the pitfalls of the global Covid vaccine rollout by ensuring its new anti-coronavirus pill is made available in wealthy and poor countries at almost the same time. Paul Schaper, the company’s executive director of global public policy, told AFP that Merck, known as MSD outside the US and Canada, began working on its access strategy from July 2020, long before the efficacy […]
by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — US drugmaker Merck & Co. on Wednesday announced a deal that could see generic versions of its Covid-19 medication widely distributed in poorer countries, in a first during the pandemic. The global Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) said it had signed a voluntary licensing agreement with Merck to facilitate affordable worldwide access for its investigational oral antiviral medicine molnupiravir. Subject to regulatory approval, the deal will help create broad […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The EU’s medicines watchdog said on Monday it had started reviewing an oral Covid medication from the US pharmaceutical firm Merck, raising hopes for an easy-to-administer treatment to reduce serious or deadly cases. The move, which could eventually lead to authorization on the European market, comes two weeks after Merck applied for emergency use in the US of the anti-coronavirus drug. “EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has started a rolling […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US pharmaceutical giant Merck said Monday that it has applied for emergency use authorization of its oral anti-Covid drug in the United States, a major step towards finding a simple pill to treat the disease. Merck has submitted the application for molnupiravir, which it said earlier this month was shown to reduce hospitalisations by 50 percent. It said it was working “with regulatory agencies worldwide to submit applications for emergency […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The EU’s medicines watchdog could start a review within days of an oral Covid drug produced by the US pharmaceutical firm Merck, a senior official said Tuesday. Merck said last week that its drug molnupiravir was shown to reduce hospitalisations by 50 percent, bringing closer the dream of a simple pill to treat the coronavirus pandemic. “What I can say is that indeed we will be considering whether to start […]
The Department of Health (DOH), MERCK, and the Philippine Thyroid Association (PTA) on September 16 sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to implement activities in increasing awareness among Filipinos with thyroid disorders as the 2013 National Nutrition Survey showed that about 5.8 million Filipinos are now afflicted with thyroid disorder in different clinical presentations. Under the said MOA, the partnership of DOH, MERCK, and PTA will also strive to improve the capacity of health care professionals […]
