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Britain authorized the world’s first antiviral pill to treat the coronavirus, which may cut the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in half among the unvaccinated.
Britain has granted a conditional authorization to Merck’s coronavirus antiviral, the first pill shown to successfully treat COVID-19. It is the first country to OK the treatment, although it was not immediately clear how quickly the pill would be available.(MERCK & CO. VIA AP)
Britain on Thursday granted conditional authorization to drugmaker Merck’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, becoming the first country in the world to OK the virus treatment.
The drug, developed by U.S.-based Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is the first pill to gain regulatory approval to treat the coronavirus, aimed at alleviating mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in at-risk adults. It’s intended to be taken twice per day for five days.
The authorization comes after the drug garnered positive results in its third phase of clinical trials, says Merck, which evaluated the pill in unvaccinated adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who had at least one risk factor associated with poor health outcomes, such as obesity or heart disease. Last month, Merck reported that the drug, called molnupiravir, cut the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in half.
The drug, developed by U.S.-based Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is the first pill to gain regulatory approval to treat the coronavirus, aimed at alleviating mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in at-risk adults. It’s intended to be taken twice per day for five days.
The authorization comes after the drug garnered positive results in its third phase of clinical trials, says Merck, which evaluated the pill in unvaccinated adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who had at least one risk factor associated with poor health outcomes, such as obesity or heart disease. Last month, Merck reported that the drug, called molnupiravir, cut the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in half.