WASHINGTON (AP) — Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use. If cleared, the drug would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19, a potentially major advance in efforts to fight the pandemic. There were no deaths in the drug group after that time period compared with eight deaths in the placebo group, according to Merck. That is typical when early results so clearly show a treatment works that there is no need for further testing before applying for authorization. Merck had planned to enroll more than 1,500 patients in its late-stage trial before the independent board stopped it early.
