As the pandemic goes on and variants continue to rise….
Today (December 22) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized another pill that will help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19.
NYDN reports Merck’s molnupiravir has been approved for use by adults 18 years of age and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are at high risk of being hospitalized or dying.
The pill prevents the SARS-CoV-2 virus from replicating, is taken orally every 12 hours for five days. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement,
“As new variants of the virus continue to emerge, it is crucial to expand the country’s arsenal of COVID-19 therapies using emergency use authorization, while continuing to generate additional data on their safety and effectiveness.”
FDA authorizes a second antiviral pill, this one from Merck, to treat Covid-19. The FDA authorized Pfizer's pill, Paxlovid, on Wednesday.https://t.co/ESe3MvnkFC
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) December 23, 2021
Earlier this week, Pfizer became the first U.S authorized home treatment for COVID. The pill is called Paxlovid, and is meant to fight off COVID-19 infections.