Merck Considers COVID Pill for Ebola Response in Congo
Merck is in talks with global health authorities to provide its antiviral pill molnupiravir for an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rare Bundibugyo strain has infected 1,100 people and currently lacks approved vaccines or treatments.
MERCK & CO. INC. is negotiating with global health authorities to deploy its COVID-19 antiviral pill, molnupiravir, to combat an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has infected 1,100 people and caused 42 deaths. Expanding the use of an existing antiviral could provide a critical tool for a strain that currently lacks any approved vaccines or treatments.
### Repurposing Molnupiravir for Ebola Defense The drug, sold under the brand name Lagevrio, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19 and was developed by MERCK & CO. INC. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. Eliav Barr, Chief Medical Officer at Merck Research Laboratories, confirmed during the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago on Sunday that the company is exploring how the non-specific RNA virus drug could address the widening outbreak.
