American multinational pharmaceutical company Merck said Monday it is seeking US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization for its experimental antiviral Covid-19 treatment, molnupiravir.
If authorisation is granted, the drug, made by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, would be the first oral antiviral treatment to fight Covid-19. It comes in capsule form.
Merck said it is asking for authorisation for the capsules to treat infected adults who are at risk of progressing to severe Covid-19 disease or hospitalisation. Its submission is based on a study that was stopped at the interim point because the drug was working so well in more than 700 patients randomly assigned to take either molnupiravir or a placebo.
source cnn.com
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