New Anti-COVID Pill from Merck
New Anti-COVID Pill Could Be a COVID Gamechanger
Pending FDA Approval, It Appears To Work & Work Well
Merck's experimental antiviral pill has been tested on 754 COVID patients and appears to demonstrate that it cuts in half the chances of dying or being hospitalized from COVID-19. The data is being hailed by some global health experts as a revolutionary new way to treat the deadly virus that has taken 5 million lives globally and 700,000 lives in the US alone. The key point is it appears to keep people out of the hospital and treat them from getting severe symptoms while staying at home.
Molnupiravir Pills
The medication is called molnupiravir and it works in a very different manner to undermine the potentially deadly effects of the virus once someone is infected by it. The molnupiravir pill creates errors in the COVID virus' genetic code making it less virulent. It essentially undermines the virus' potency. Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are asking the US for emergency use authorization as soon as possible. They are also seeking approvals from regulatory authorities worldwide to quickly use this brand new global weapon against COVID-19 and its variants, for which it appears to be equally effective.
Totally New Approach Against COVID
If Molnupiravir gets approved by the FDA, it will be the first oral antiviral medication against COVID-19. A simple, oral pill to fight the deadly effects of COVID is simple, easy and can be taken, once prescribed, at home. The results of Phase 111 trials on Molnupiravir were so strong that the study was stopped by independent monitors to secure emergency authorization use. Merck is not alone in pursuing an oral medication against COVID-19. Pfizer and Roche are also developing an antiviral COVID pill, among others.
Next Steps for the Merck Pill
Merck is producing 10 million courses of their new COVID treatment by the end of 2021. The US government is already buying 1.7 million courses at a cost of $700 per course. This breakthrough drug therapy from Merck has the potential to be a big gamechanger in the treatment of COVID-19 and its variants.
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