Merck & Co. said updated results showed its Covid-19 pill reduced the risk of hospitalization or death among adults with mild to moderate disease by 30%, less than a previous estimate and well below a rival treatment from Pfizer Inc.
Shares of Merck slid 3.4% to $79.46 in pre-market trading, reversing earlier gains, while Pfizer rose 5.9%.
Merck’s latest trial analysis includes data from all enrolled participants, the drugmaker said in a statement Friday. Nine deaths were reported in the placebo group, and one in the group receiving the treatment, called molnupiravir.
The data will be at the center of a Tuesday panel