Merck Has a New COVID-19 Treatment Pill – Here’s What You Need To Know

UC Davis Health’s infectious disease expert answers frequently asked questions about Merck’s new COVID-19 treatment.

Merck & Co has developed a new COVID-19 treatment that could be given in the days after COVID-19 symptoms appear to prevent serious illness.

The treatment would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19. Studies have shown that it cuts hospital admissions and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus.

Merck has filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an emergency use authorization (EUA) of the pill called molnupiravir. An advisory committee is scheduled to review the pill’s safety and efficacy data on Nov. 30 and decide whether to approve it for the EUA in the United States.

To learn more about Merck’s COVID-19 treatment pill, we asked George Thompson, an infectious disease specialist at UC Davis Health, some frequently asked questions about Merck’s new COVID-19 pill.

How does Merck’s COVID-19 treatment pill work?

It works like most antivirals by inhibiting the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to replicate. The hope is that we can treat COVID-19 as we do the flu with Tamiflu, the antiviral drug used to prevent severe flu symptoms.

If approved by the FDA, a doctor can prescribe the Pill to patients after the development of an infection. Taking the pill early can help patients improve more quickly.

What makes Merck’s Pill different from other COVID-19 treatments?

Currently, all COVID-19 therapies now allowed in the United States require an IV or injection, requiring patients to be in the hospital or infusion center. For example, monoclonal antibody treatments are given to patients through an IV drip or injection, so they have to come to a clinic or hospital.

What makes Merck’s Pill unique is that a patient’s primary care physician can prescribe it, pick it up later that day and begin treatment at home. This could alleviate some of the capacity issues facing hospitals across the country.

Who Is Eligible For Merck’s Pill If It Is Approved?

For almost anyone over the age of 18, this could be a potential treatment option for COVID-19. High-risk adults, those 60 and older, or those who are younger but have conditions that put them at high risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19 can benefit the most.

One group Merck didn’t test for the drug was pregnant women, so they probably wouldn’t be eligible for the treatment at this point.

When is the best time to start taking the Merck Pill?

With doctor’s approval, patients should start taking the Pill as soon as they test positive for COVID-19. The sooner a patient receives an antiviral drug, the more effective it is likely to be.

Starting a drug a little later can reduce the effectiveness of the treatment because your body is already fighting it. In some severe cases of COVID-19, the virus may be gone, but it’s the immune system’s response that causes some of the long-term problems.

If Merck’s Pill Is Approved, Will We Still Need Vaccines?

Yes, we still need everyone who is vaccinated.

Whatever antivirals are developed, viruses will develop resistance. So if we continue to allow the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community, some strains will develop resistance based on what we’ve seen in other viral infections.

Merck allows drug manufacturers in other countries to make its COVID-19 pill. Why is this important?

I think this will really increase the amount of treatment available and reduce costs as well. It mainly increases availability for people who need it, especially in poorer countries. The more we fight the spread of COVID-19 around the world, the less it will recur and make this treatment more effective.