Sheba Medical Center to collaborate with Merck on new COVID-19 drug trial
According to a release, the drug causes mutations in the enzyme responsible for replicating the virus and therefore stops the rate of the disease and prevents it from worsening.
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANAn aerial photo of Sheba Medical Center-Tel Hashomer.(photo credit: SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER)
Sheba Medical Center is becoming the first hospital in the world to collaborate on a clinical trial with Merck & Co., Inc. to test their novel coronavirus drug.The drug, Molnupiravir (MK-4482), is intended for the treatment of COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed within the last 10 days and have symptoms. It is meant to be taken every 12 hours for five days.According to a release, the drug causes mutations in the enzyme responsible for replicating the virus and therefore stops the rate of the disease and prevents it from worsening.Molnupiravir is currently in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial. If safety and efficacy are proven, at the end of the trial the drug is expected to be approved for the treatment of patients both in and outside of the hospital.The trial will continue in other hospitals around the world.To date, there have been encouraging Phase 1 results in the US. It also produced promising results in the spring in preclinical trials, both in cells and in animals.The drug was originally designed to fight the flu.
