UK becomes first country to approve anti-Covid pill

Britain on Thursday became the first country to approve an anti-Covid pill, as it greenlit the use of Merck’s antiviral drug molnupiravir.

Merck’s experimental antiviral drug Molnupiravir. Picture: Handout/Merck & Co, Inc./AFP

Britain on Thursday became the first country to approve an anti-Covid pill, as it greenlit the use of Merck’s antiviral drug to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate coronavirus, regulators said.

“Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for Covid-19,” said Health Minister Sajid Javid.

“This will be a game-changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed, who will soon be able to receive the groundbreaking treatment.”

BREAKING NEWS:

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

— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) November 4, 2021

The antiviral, called molnupiravir, works by decreasing the ability of a virus to replicate, thereby slowing down the disease.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said its trials had concluded it was “safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in people with mild to moderate Covid-19 who are at increased risk of developing severe disease”.

Based on the clinical trial data, the drug is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection and the MHRA recommends that it be used within five days of the onset of symptoms.

The pill ‘safe and effective’. Picture: Daniel Roland/AFP

It has been authorised for use in people who have at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, including obesity, old age, diabetes and heart disease.

Britain, which has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, announced on October 20 that it had ordered 480,000 doses of molnupiravir from US pharma giant Merck.

Drug regulators in the United States and the European Union have already begun an evaluation of the drug.

Merck has already signed agreements with other governments, including the US, which has planned to buy 1.7 million doses if molnupiravir if approved by regulators.

MHRA chief executive June Raine called the pill “another therapeutic to add to our armoury”.

Originally published as UK becomes first country to approve anti-Covid pill