The first pill designed to treat symptomatic Covid-19 has been approved by the UK medicines regulator, BBC reports
A US drug company Merck (known as MSD in the UK) and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, have developed the first dedicated oral antiviral medication for Covid.known as Molnupiravir
According to BBC report, the tablet - molnupiravir - will be administered twice a day to vulnerable patients recently diagnosed with the virus.
The drug, which was originally developed to treat flu, showed potentiality curing Covid-19 by cutting the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half in clinical trial.
Health secretary Sajid Javid in a statement said the treatment was a "gamechanger" for the most frail and immunosuppressed
"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"
First oral treatment
The pill targets an enzyme which the virus uses to make replicate itself, introducing errors into its genetic code to prevent it from multiplying, so keeping virus levels low in the body and reducing the severity of the disease, boost the body immunity to fight off the virus.
Merck said the approach should make the treatment equally effective against new variants of the virus as it evolves in the future.
UK Approval
The UK regulator, the MHRA, said the drug had been authorised for use in people who have mild to moderate Covid and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness such as obesity, old age, diabetes or heart disease.
The organisation's chief executive, June Raine, described the treatment as "another therapeutic to add to our armoury against Covid-19".
"It is the world's first approved antiviral for this disease that can be taken by mouth rather than administered intravenously," she said.
"This is important, because it means it can be administered outside of a hospital setting, before Covid-19 has progressed to a severe stage."
The UK has ordered 480,000 courses of molnupiravir to be delivered by the end of the year, along with 250,000 courses of a similar experimental drug currently being developed by US drug company Pfizer.
Clinical trials Results
Earlier clinical trials of molnupiravir was carried out on 775 patients who had recently been diagnosed of Covid. After the trails the results show:
- 7.3% of those given the drug were hospitalised
- that compares with 14.1% of patients who were given a placebo or dummy pill
- there were no deaths in the molnupiravir group, but eight patients who were given a placebo in the trial later died of Covid
The data was published in a press release and has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Trial results suggest molnupiravir needs to be taken early after symptoms develop to have an effect. An earlier study in patients who had already been hospitalised with severe Covid was halted after disappointing results.
Global approval
Many companies are have been working on finding a cure for Covid, Merck is the first to report promising results of its pill to treat Coronavirus.
Pfizer, a US company has recently started last-stage trials of two different antiviral tablets, while Swiss company Roche is working on a similar medication.
World health Organization is yet to make a statement on it or approve it for global use.