FDA Approves 2nd At-home Covid Pill Thursday

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized Merck & Co's antiviral pill for COVID-19 after giving the go-ahead to a similar treatment from Pfizer Inc a day earlier.

According to reports. Merck's drug, molnupiravir, was shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by about 30% in a clinical trial of high-risk individuals early in the course of the illness.

The FDA authorized the oral drug for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at risk for severe disease, and for whom alternative COVID-19 treatments are not accessible or clinically appropriate.

The U.S. government has a contract to buy as many as 5 million courses of the drug for $700 per course.