Merck's Covid Pill Shows Lower Efficacy In Updated Data

Merck's latest trial analysis includes data from all enrolled participants, the drugmaker said in a statement Friday.

Merck & Co said updated results showed its Covid-19 pill reduced the risk of hospitalization or death among adults with mild to moderate disease by 30%, less than a previous estimate and well below a rival treatment from Pfizer Inc.

Shares of Merck slid 3.4 per cent to $79.46 in pre-market trading, reversing earlier gains, while Pfizer rose 5.9 per cent.

Nine deaths were reported in the placebo group, and one in the group receiving the treatment, called molnupiravir.

The data will be at the center of a Tuesday panel discussion by US Food and Drug Administration advisers regarding its use to treat Covid in high-risk patients.