December 23, 2021, 11:05am
The FDA approved the pill from Merck for emergency use to treat Covid-19, a day after it greenlit the drug from Pfizer.
The photo was taken by Jakub Porzycki/Nur Photo.
The images are from the same source.
The agency said that the drug is used to treat mild-to-moderate cases of Covid in adults who are at high risk of developing severe disease.
Last month, the drugmaker said that its pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 30%.
According to the FDA, molnupiravir is not authorized for use in patients under 18 years old.
The pill is not recommended for pregnant women.
Patients should take four 200 milligram pills every 12 hours for five days after symptom onset if they don't want to take more than five days.
The U.S. government has ordered over 3 million courses of the drug.
The FDA expert panel narrowly voted in favor of the drug. The Washington Post reported that several health advisers on the committee voiced concerns about the pill's ability to produce new genes. The FDA panel was told by the CEO of the Meharry Medical College that the drug would induce an escape Mutant from which the vaccines do not cover. He said that it could be catastrophic for the whole world.
The key background.
Paxlovid was approved by the FDA for patients 12 years and older with mild-to-moderate cases of Covid who are at high risk of hospitalization or death. The drugmaker said Paxlovid prevented hospitalization due to Covid.
The FDA allows a second pill to treat Covid-19.
Pfizer's Covid treatment pill was the first oral antiviral drug cleared during the CNBC.
The FDA Panel recommended the use of the Covid-19 Antiviral Pill.
