The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended an anti-Covid pill be taken by sufferers who have mild symptoms.
The pill, called molnupiravir, was developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck and is also known by the brand name Lagevrio.
It is the first oral antiviral drug to be included in the WHO’s treatment guide for COVID-19.
As per the WHO group of experts, the pill can be taken by sufferers who have mild symptoms but are at high risk of hospitalization, such as older people or the unvaccinated. It is also recommended to people with weak immune systems or chronic disease if they had non-severe Covid.
WHO recommends the pill to be taken as soon as possible after Covid-19 symptoms develop and then for the following five days.
However, "young and healthy patients, including children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women should not be given the drug due to potential harms," WHO said.
The molnupiravir pill is an antiviral drug that targets the enzyme the coronavirus uses to replicate itself.
WHo’s recommendation for the pill is based on new data from six randomized controlled trials involving 4,796 patients, the largest dataset for this drug so far.
Evidence from these trials suggests that molnupiravir reduces the risk of hospital admission - 43 fewer admissions per 1,000 patients at highest risk - and time to symptom resolution with an average of 3.4 fewer days.
The pill, called molnupiravir, was developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck and is also known by the brand name Lagevrio.
It is the first oral antiviral drug to be included in the WHO’s treatment guide for COVID-19.
As per the WHO group of experts, the pill can be taken by sufferers who have mild symptoms but are at high risk of hospitalization, such as older people or the unvaccinated. It is also recommended to people with weak immune systems or chronic disease if they had non-severe Covid.
WHO recommends the pill to be taken as soon as possible after Covid-19 symptoms develop and then for the following five days.
However, "young and healthy patients, including children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women should not be given the drug due to potential harms," WHO said.
The molnupiravir pill is an antiviral drug that targets the enzyme the coronavirus uses to replicate itself.
WHo’s recommendation for the pill is based on new data from six randomized controlled trials involving 4,796 patients, the largest dataset for this drug so far.
Evidence from these trials suggests that molnupiravir reduces the risk of hospital admission - 43 fewer admissions per 1,000 patients at highest risk - and time to symptom resolution with an average of 3.4 fewer days.
