Britain clears COVID-19 drug for use

The United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has authorized a new oral pill created by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for emergency use. The U.K. is creating a distribution plan with the National Health Service to buy courses of the pill, called Lagevrio, as soon as possible. The agency approved its use to treat adults 18 and up who have tested positive for coronavirus and have at least one risk factor for severe infection such as an underlying health condition. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to consider Merck’s pill in late November.

How does it work? Molnupiravir is an antiviral drug that targets the enzyme the coronavirus uses to reproduce. It then puts errors into the virus’s genetic code to prevent worse infection. The agency said it extensively reviewed the DNA mutation and agreed it does not pose a risk to humans, but some independent experts questioned whether it might cause birth defects or tumors in some patients. For patients with mild to moderate early infection, doctors will prescribe a rigorous course treatment of eight pills per day for at least five days. Early studies from Merck showed this reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from the coronavirus by half.

Dig deeper: Read Brad Littlejohn’s column for WORLD Opinions about the pandemic and humility.