The United Kingdom has granted approval for Merck's coronavirus pill Molnupiravir. This country became the first to approve the world's only oral coronavirus drug.
"Molnupiravir will be marketed under the trademark LAGEVRIO. Dean Lee, executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories, said Molnupiravir is an important therapeutic addition to vaccines.
It is designed to make errors in the genetic code of the virus and prevent it from spreading in the body. It works by targeting an enzyme that the virus uses to make its copies.
A total of 775 people took part in the study. Only 7.3 percent of patients who received the Merck pills were hospitalized or died from the coronavirus, compared to 14.1 percent in the group who received the placebo.
The trial results suggest that Molnupiravir must be taken as soon as symptoms appear for it to have an effect.
