Britain on Thursday approved the use of Merck’s antiviral pill to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate coronavirus infections, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced.
According to AFP, the health minister Sajid Javid said, “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.”
Further reports say that the pill was licensed for adults 18 and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have at least one risk factor for developing severe diseases, such as obesity or heart disease.
The drug, known as Molnupiravir, is intended to be taken twice a day for five days by people at home with mild to moderate COVID-19.
An antiviral pill that reduces symptoms and speeds recovery could prove groundbreaking, easing caseloads on hospitals and helping to curb outbreaks in poorer countries with fragile health systems.
It would also bolster the two-pronged approach to the pandemic: treatment, by way of medication, and prevention, primarily through vaccinations.
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Molnupiravir is also pending review at regulators in the U.S., the European Union and elsewhere.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last month it would convene a panel of independent experts to scrutinize the pill’s safety and effectiveness in late November.
Merck has said it can produce 10 million treatment courses through the end of the year, but much of that supply has already been purchased by governments worldwide.
Doctors said the treatment would be particularly significant for people who do not respond well to vaccination.
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