Britain has granted conditional authorization to Merck’s COVID-19 pill — the only one so far shown to successfully treat the disease — becoming the first nation to OK the treatment, although it was not immediately clear how quickly the drug would be available.
“Today is a historic day for our country, as the U.K. is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19,” said Health Secretary Sajid Javid. . That’s roughly the same group targeted for treatment with infused COVID-19 antibody drugs, the standard of care in many countries for patients who don’t yet require hospitalization.A previous version of this story misstated when Merck issued findings regarding its COVID-19 pill. They were announced in September, not last month.
Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said molnupiravir’s ability to interact with DNA and cause mutations had been studied “extensively” and that it was not found to pose a risk to humans. Molnupiravir was initially studied as a potential flu therapy with funding from the U.S. government. Last year, researchers at Emory University decided to re-purpose the drug as a potential COVID-19 treatment. They then licensed the drug to Ridgeback and its partner, Merck., in a move aimed at helping millions of people in poorer countries get access.
nice
Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »