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US Authorises Merck's At-Home Antiviral COVID-19 Pill

December 23, 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized Merck & Co's antiviral pill for COVID-19, after giving the go-ahead to a similar treatment from Pfizer Inc a day earlier.

Merck's drug, Molnupiravir, developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, was shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by around 30% in a clinical trial of high-risk individuals early in the course of the illness.

The agency authorized the oral drug for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at risk for severe disease, and for whom alternative COVID-19 treatments are not accessible or clinically appropriate.

The U.S. government has a contract to buy as many as 5 million courses of the drug for $700 per course.

The drug is not authorized for use in patients younger than 18 because Molnupiravir may affect bone and cartilage growth, the FDA said in a statement.

















Source: Reuters 
Image Source: Fierce Healthcare