SAYACINTAINDONESIA — Britain’s drug regulator has approved the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms with pills. This was announced directly by the UK government, making it the first country to use the pill to treat COVID-19 symptoms. A drug called Molnupiravir will be given twice a day to susceptible patients who have just been diagnosed with the disease. In clinical trials, the pill, originally developed to treat the flu, reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by about half. Britain’s Health Minister, Sajid Javid said the treatment was a “game changer” for the weakest and most immunosuppressed.
“Today is a historic day for our country, because English is now the first country in the world who approved antiviral drugs that can be taken home for COVID,” Javid said a statement as quoted by the BBC (11/04/2021).
Javid said the UK government was working at speed with the UK’s National Health Service, the NHS, to get the antiviral drug available to patients through a national study as soon as possible.
“This antivirus will be an excellent addition to our arsenal against COVID-19,” he said, adding that vaccinations remained important.
“It remains important for everyone to come forward for the COVID-19 vaccine that saves their lives as well as for booster injections,” he continued as quoted by NBC.
Molnupiravir was developed by US drug companies Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. This drug is the first oral antiviral drug for COVID-19 that can be taken as a pill rather than injected or given intravenously.
Source: BBC | NBC
