The Food and Drug Administration, an agency similar to Anvisa in the United States, authorized this Thursday (23) the antiviral drug from MSD (Merck) for Covid-19. The decision comes a day after the agency gave the green light to similar treatment by Pfizer.
MSD’s drug molnupiravir, developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by about 30% in a clinical trial of high-risk individuals with early-stage infection.
The FDA has authorized the oral drug for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults at risk for severe disease and for whom alternative treatments for the disease are not accessible or clinically appropriate.
The US government has a contract to buy up to 5 million pills of the drug for $700 each.
The drug is not authorized for use in patients under the age of 18 because molnupirvir can affect bone and cartilage growth, the FDA said in a statement.
(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Nick Zieminski)
Reference: CNN Brasil
