COVID Pill APPROVED in UK

[YaaaasGaga 6,119]

The UK has authorised the first pill shown to be effective at treating Covid-19.

It is hoped that Merck’s antiviral treatment, which can be taken at home, will dramatically improve outcomes for patients and ease the strain on the NHS. 

The UK is the first country to give the treatment the green light, although it was not immediately clear how quickly the pill would be available, with supply expected to be limited. 

The treatment, known as molnupiravir, has been licensed for those aged 18 and over who test positive for the virus and have at least one risk factor for developing severe disease.

The drug is intended to be taken twice a day for five days by people at home with mild to moderate symptoms.

Doctors said the treatment would be particularly significant for people who do not respond well to vaccination.

Merck announced preliminary results last month showing its drug cut hospitalisations and deaths by half among patients with early coronavirus symptoms – but the results have not yet been vetted by external scientists.

The company also did not disclose details on molnupiravir’s side effects, but said that rates of those problems were similar between people who got the drug and those who received dummy pills.

Initially studied as a potential flu therapy, the drug targets an enzyme the coronavirus uses to reproduce itself, inserting errors into its genetic code that slow its ability to spread and take over human cells.

That genetic activity has led some independent experts to question whether the drug could potentially cause mutations leading to birth defects or tumors.

Regulators are also considering approving the medication in the US, Europe and elsewhere.

Source: https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/04/uk-approves-first-pill-to-successfully-treat-covid-15541521/

[JoeMo 3,889]

Wow. Hopefully this makes a difference then!

[alsemanche 97,803]

Oh wow that's huge! 

[Karl 3,575]

Love that for us