JUST IN: Merck seeks FDA emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, an experimental antiviral pill to treat Covid-19
Merck said Monday it is seeking US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for its experimental antiviral Covid-19 treatment, molnupiravir.
If authorization is granted, the drug, made by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, would be the first oral antiviral treatment to fight Covid-19. It comes in capsule form.Merck said it is asking for authorization for the capsules to treat infected adults who are at risk of progressing to severe Covid-19 disease or hospitalization.
"It is very important that this now must go through the usual process of careful examination of the data by the Food and Drug Administration both for effectiveness, but also for safety, because whenever you introduce a new compound, safety is very important," Fauci said, noting that vaccines remain"our best tools against Covid-19" by preventing infection and illness, rather than treating it.
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