Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. said on 7 January that it also has licensed a hepatitis C candidate from Merck. (Also see "Failure Brings Atea and Roche’s COVID-19 Pill Moonshot Down To Earth" - Scrip, 20 October, 2021.) An NS5A inhibitor, ruzasvir has shown viral load reduction capability and good safety in clinical studies to date conducted by Merck, Atea said. The Boston biotech, which will pay Merck an undisclosed upfront fee with potential for development and commercial milestones and sales royalties, plans to launch a Phase II combination study of ruzasvir and bemnifosbuvir this year as a pan-genotypic therapy for HCV infections. Atea has bemnifosbuvir in Phase II to treat high-risk COVID-19 patients.

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