Merck drug less effective against moderate COVID -India regulatory source

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FILE PHOTO: The Merck logo is seen at a gate to the Merck & Co campus in Rahway, New Jersey
FILE PHOTO: The Merck logo is seen at a gate to the Merck & Co campus in Rahway, New Jersey, U.S., July 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Merck & Co's (MRK.N) experimental antiviral drug molnupiravir has not shown "significant efficacy" against moderate COVID-19, a source with the Drug Controller General of India said.

Aurobindo Pharma Ltd wants to discontinue a late-stage trial of molnupiravir in moderate COVID-19 patients, the regulator's expert committee said on Friday. read more

"There is no significant efficacy against moderate COVID and the effective efficacy is towards mild cases," the source said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.

The regulator and health ministry did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Reporting by Neha Arora; editing by Jason Neely

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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