New oral medications that fight Covid-19 are here, and they represent a major advance in the fight against the pandemic.
Last week, in a controversial 13-10 vote, the Food and Drug Administration expert advisory committee recommended that the agency grant emergency use authorization to the first oral medication designed to treat Covid-19. The drug, named molnupiravir by its developers, pharmaceutical giant Merck and its collaborator, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, was the first such medication seeking emergency use authorization. According to data presented by the manufacturer, if the drug was taken early in the course of Covid-19, it would have the potential to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by 30 percent among high-risk people.
