Biden Administration Commits $1.2B For Merck’s COVID-19 Treatment

The Biden administration committed to pay Merck $1.2 billion for 1.7 million courses of an investigational COVID-19 treatment, molnupiravir (MK-4482), on the condition that FDA at least grants the antiviral an emergency use authorization. Molnupiravir is being tested in a phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of COVID-19 patients who haven’t been hospitalized but are at risk of serious sickness from the virus. Merck is developing molnupiravir with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. Merck also struck non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with generic...