An antiviral drug that could slash hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 by half has received regulatory approval in the UK, the first country to green light the drug.
Molnupiravir, developed by the Kenilworth, New Jersey-based company Merck & Co., is garnering worldwide attention after promising results in the clinical trials.
The drug will be administered to Covid patients in four pill doses, twice a day for five days upon a person feeling symptoms of the virus.
While British patients will have access to the drug soon, it is pending regulatory approval in the U.S. and a meeting by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the drug's merits isn't scheduled until November 30.
A study at the start of the month showed molnupiravir can cut hospitalizations and deaths by up to 50%. It works by disrupting the Covid virus's ability to reproduce in the human body
The United Kingdom is the first nation to approve the usage of molnupiravir (pictured). The FDA has an advisory meeting scheduled to discuss the fate of the drug on November 30, and Americans will have to wait at least till then to access the drug
'The first global authorization of molnupiravir is a major achievement in Merck's singular legacy of bringing forward breakthrough medicines and vaccines to address the world's greatest health challenges,' Robert Davis, Merck's CEO, said in a statement.
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid called the treatment a 'game changer' for the most vulnerable.
Britain has bought 480,000 doses of molnupiravir at a cost thought to be in the region of £250 million, or around $290 million.
