Denmark on Thursday approved Merck & Co Inc’s (MRK.N) molnupiravir antiviral pill for COVID-19 patients at risk of serious illness, including the elderly.

Treatment is still under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Faced with a growing number of coronavirus infections, the EU drug regulator recommended its use for adults in November before making a broader recommendation.

Announcing its approval for limited use in Denmark, the country’s Chief Medical Officer Christine Mol Harboe said: “We believe the benefits of treatment outweigh the disadvantages for patients at higher risk of developing COVID-19.”

Britain last month became the first country to approve the treatment, which was co-developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and which Merck says has signed agreements for a total of at least seven million doses.

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