The United Kingdom on November 4, 2021, became the first country in the world to approve a potentially game-changing COVID-19 anti-viral pill. It has been jointly developed by the U.S.-based Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, in a boost to the fight against pandemic.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of Britain recommended the drug, Molnupiravir, be used as soon as possible following a positive COVID-19 test and within five days of the onset of the symptoms, citing the clinical data.
Treatments to tackle the widespread COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 5.2 million people worldwide, have so far focused mainly on vaccines. Other options, which include generic steroid dexamethasone and Gilead’s infused antiviral remdesivir, are generally only given after a patient has been hospitalized.
BREAKING NEWS:
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) November 4, 2021
The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 antiviral - @MSDintheUK's #molnupiravir.
Great news from the @MHRAgovuk which will benefit the country's most vulnerable - we're now working at pace to deploy it to patients. pic.twitter.com/FCMRkMiUP9
Molnupiravir: COVID-19 antiviral pill• This is the first oral antiviral treatment for Coronavirus that has received approval, with the green light coming ahead of the potential US regulatory clearance. The US advisers will be meeting in November 2021 to vote on whether the pill should be authorized. • The Molnupiravir pill of Merck has been closely watched since data in October 2021 showed that the pill could halves the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of developing severe COVID-19 when given early in the illness. How does COVID pill work? The COVID-19 antiviral pill has been designed to introduce the errors into the genetic code of the virus that causes COVID-19. The pill is taken twice a day for five days. How much effective is Merck’s COVID pill? The viral sequencing done so far has shown that Molnupiravir is effective against all the variants of the COVID-19, including the more infectious Delta variant which is responsible for the worldwide surge in hospitalizations and deaths recently. The Molnupiravir pill is also being studied in a late-stage trial for preventing infections. |
COVID-19 antiviral pill in Britain
• The oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 will be branded as ‘Lagevrio’ in Britain.
• The British Government and the National Health Service (NHS) of the country will confirm how the treatment will be deployed to patients in the due course.
• Health Secretary of Britain said that the department has been working at pace across the government and with NHS to set out the plans to deploy Molnupiravir to patients through national study as soon as possible.
• In October 2021, Britain agreed on a deal with Merck to secure 4,80,000 courses of Molnupiravir.
• Pressure has also been growing on the British government to implement its Plan B. It aims at protecting NHS from unsustainable demands, involving vaccine passes, mask mandates, and Work From Home orders.
• The speedy approval of the COVID pill in Britain comes as the government struggles to tame the soaring infections.
Merck’s plans for its COVID-19 pill
Merck, in a separate statement, said that it was expecting to produce 10 million courses of the treatment by the end of 2021, with at least 20 million sets to be manufactured in 2022.
While it is still not clear when Merck will deliver the doses to Britain, the firm has said that it is committed to providing timely access to its drug globally. The company is also in talks with generic drug makers about expanding the manufacturing licenses to build a supply of the treatment.
Other firms racing to develop COVID anti-viral pill
• Roche and Pfizer have also been racing to develop easy-to-administer antiviral pills for COVID-19. In October 2021, Pfizer began a large study of its oral antiviral drug for the prevention of COVID-19 in people exposed to Coronavirus.
• Antibody cocktails like those from Eli Lilly and Regeneron have also been approved for non-hospitalized COVID patients, but have to be given intravenously.
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