WASHINGTON, Dec 24 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorised American pharmaceutical company Merck’s oral antiviral for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19, the second pill approved for treating Covid-19 following the one from Pfizer, Xinhua reported.
Merck’s pill, called molnupiravir, is authorised to use in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe Covid-19, including hospitalisation or death, and for whom alternative Covid-19 treatment options authorised by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate, according to the FDA.
Molnupiravir is available by prescription only and should be initiated as soon as possible after a diagnosis of Covid-19 and within five days of symptom onset, said the FDA.
On Wednesday, the FDA authorised Pfizer’s oral antiviral tablets Paxlovid for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19, the first pill approved for Covid-19 treatment in the country.
— Bernama
