The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorised Merck's antiviral pill for Covid-19,
a day after giving the go-ahead to a similar but more effective treatment from Pfizer.
AUDIO FROM FDA: We want to remind people that these drugs
are not substitutions for getting vaccinated.
On a call with reporters, the FDA said both pills also worked against the
fast-spreading Omicron variant, which is now dominant in the United States.
So the available data that we have indicates that
both Paxlovid and Molnupiravir are effective against Omicron.
Merck's Molnupiravir, which is for treating mild-to-moderate
Covid-19 in certain high-risk adult patients,
was shown to reduce hospitalisations and deaths by around 30% in a clinical trial.
Pfizer's pill, Paxlovid, was authorised on Wednesday for people 12 and older,
and clinical trial data showed it to be nearly 90% effective in
preventing hospitalisations and deaths in patients at high risk of severe illness.
The oral medications authorised this week are designed to stop the virus from replicating,
and can be prescribed for at-home use.
The FDA said Merck's Covid pill is not authorised for use in patients younger than 18 because it may
affect bone and cartilage growth, and is not recommended for use during pregnancy.
The drug is meant to be taken twice a day - four pills each time - for five days,
making a full course of treatment 40 pills.