Opinion: A likely new treatment for Covid-19 was made possible by government-funded innovation

STAT October 5, 2021
Travis Whitfill

Last week, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced Phase 3 results of molnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug, in patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19. In a trial that included more than 750 patients, molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% compared with placebo. There were no deaths in the molnupiravir group compared to eight in the placebo group.

Given these findings, this oral drug appears to offer a new way to treat patients with Covid-19 and is an easier option than intravenously administered antibodies or remdesivir.

The story behind molnupiravir is intriguing and a testament to government-funded innovation. Molnupiravir, also known as EIDD-2801 or MK-4482, came out of Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), a not-for-profit LLC owned by Emory...

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