The antiviral drug reduces hospitalizations and deaths by 30% among people at risk
The anti-Covid pill from the pharmaceutical company Merck has received the green light from the Food and Drug Administration (Fda). “With this authorization we have a new therapy against Covid-19, in the form of a drug to be taken orally,” explained Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the US drug agency. Yesterday the go-ahead for the Pfizer pill arrived.
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The Merck-developed pill, known as Molnupiravir, must be taken within five days of symptom onset, and has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and Covid deaths by 30% among those at risk. Pfizer’s pill reduced the same results by 90%. The FDA stressed in its statement that both Pfizer and Merck pills should complement, rather than replace, vaccines, which remain the front-line tool in the fight against the coronavirus.
While both treatments have been found to be generally safe in clinical trials, further potential concerns have been raised about Merck’s pill: the FDA has not cleared the pill for people under 18 because it could affect bone and cartilage growth. It is not recommended for use in pregnant women due to the potential for fetal harm, but doctors can still decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks in individual cases. Eight Molnupiravir capsules will need to be taken orally for five days, for a total of 40 capsules.
Italy has already equipped itself on the front of anti-Covid pills. “The first doses of Molnupiravir (Merck), about 12 thousand treatments, arrived ahead of schedule – said General Paolo Figliuolo, extraordinary commissioner for the Covid emergency – while the first deliveries of Paxlovid (Pfizer) are expected in February – March 2022 “.
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