Thu 04 November 2021:
The United Kingdom has given Merck’s coronavirus antiviral, the first tablet proved to successfully treat COVID-19, conditional approval. It’s the first country to approve the treatment, however it’s unclear how soon the pill will be available.
“Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19,” said Britain’s health secretary, Sajid Javid.
Adults 18 and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have at least one risk factor for severe disease, such as obesity or heart disease, can take the tablet. The medicine, molnupiravir, is meant to be given twice a day for five days by people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 at home.
“Today we announced the first authorization in the world for our investigational COVID19 antiviral treatment, from the United Kingdom’s MHRA, Merck wrote on twitter
BREAKING: Today we announced the first authorization in the world for our investigational #COVID19 #antiviral treatment, from the United Kingdom’s MHRA. Read more about the news: https://t.co/wvP8pG7b7a $MRK pic.twitter.com/1J3nMZnBvt
— Merck (@Merck) November 4, 2021
UK health secretary further said, “We are working at pace across the government and with the NHS to set out plans to deploy molnupiravir to patients through a national study as soon as possible,” he said in a statement, referring to the UK’s National Health Service. Doctors said the treatment would be particularly significant for people who do not respond well to vaccination.
Molnupiravir’s ability to interact with DNA and produce mutations was researched “extensively” and deemed not to pose a risk to humans, according to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom.
Molnupiravir is also being evaluated by regulators in the United States, the European Union, and other countries. The US Food and Drug Administration announced last month that a team of independent experts would convene in late November to examine the pill’s safety and effectiveness.
(with agency)
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