The United Kingdom on Thursday became the first country in the world to pass a COVID-19 antiviral oral pill potentially revolutionary, jointly developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recommended that the drug, molnupiravir, be used as soon as possible after a positive COVID-19 test and within five days of the onset of symptoms. The government and the National Health Service (NHS) will confirm how that COVID-19 treatment will be implemented in patients in due course.
Separately, Merck said it expected produce 10 million courses of treatment by the end of this year, with at least 20 million to be manufactured in 2022.
They also hope to make a fortune from the treatment
Merck & Co Inc recently said that its experimental drug for COVID-19 could generate between 5 and 7 billion dollars on sales through the end of next year, assuming you get US clearance in December.
Merck shares rose more than 4% to $ 85.65 on October 28. ANDl antiviral medicine molnupiravir It has been closely watched since Merck in early October when it reported data showing it could curb the chances of hospitalization or death in people at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 when administered early in the illness.
Advisers from the US Food and Drug Administration will meet in November to vote on whether to authorize the drug. If approved by the FDA, the drug developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics will become the first treatment oral antiviral for COVID-19 in America.
While vaccines are still the main weapons against COVID-19, Merck’s experimental pill could be a game changer, as other treatments for the disease are given as infusions or injections, mostly in a hospital setting. Molnupiravir is taken twice a day for five days.
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With information from Reuters / msb
