Merck Says Covid Antiviral Likely to Be Active Against Omicron

Merck & Co. expects its Covid-19 antiviral molnupiravir is likely to be active against the omicron variant based on the treatment’s mechanism of action and currently available genomic information, according to a Tuesday statement from the drugmaker.

However, Merck hasn’t yet done specific research studying the antiviral’s effect against omicron. The company has previously found that the drug works for the gamma, delta and mu variants.