BREAKING: Merck asks US regulators to authorize promising pill against COVID-19, with decision expected within weeks.
This undated image provided by Merck & Co. shows their new antiviral medication. The drugmaker has said its experimental pill for people sick with COVID-19 reduced hospitalizations and deaths.
If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration — a decision that could come in a matter of weeks — it would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19. All other FDA-backed treatments against the disease require an IV or injection. “The value here is that it’s a pill so you don’t have to deal with the infusion centers and all the factors around that,” said Dr. Nicholas Kartsonis, a senior vice president with Merck’s infectious disease unit. “I think it’s a very powerful tool to add to the toolbox.”
U.S. officials continue to push vaccinations as the best way to protect against COVID-19. But with some 68 million eligible Americans still unwilling to get the shots, effective drugs will be critical to controlling future waves of infection. Merck’s Kartsonis said in an interview that the $700 figure does not represent the final price for the medication.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Covid-19: Three more Covid-related deaths and 1,115 new casesThe total number of coronavirus-linked deaths in NI since the start of the pandemic is 2,588.
Read more »
Brazil passes grim milestone of 600,000 Covid-19 deaths, second only to USBrazil on Friday surpassed the grim milestone of 600,000 Covid-19 deaths, the second-highest number of fatalities in the world after the United States, according to John Hopkins University data.
Read more »
U.S. administers nearly 402 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, CDC saysThose figures are up from the 400,669,422 vaccine doses the CDC said had been administered by Friday out of 485,713,525 doses delivered. The CDC tally includes the two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine. Roughly 7.8 million people have received a booster dose of either Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine since Aug. 13, when the United States authorized a third dose of the vaccines for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from the two-dose regimens.
Read more »
Large portions of the military remain unvaccinated despite looming deadlines and COVID-19 deathsDespite looming vaccination deadlines, large swaths of the military remain unvaccinated in the face of the Pentagon's vaccination mandate, according to data from the Washington Post.
Read more »
New Zealand makes COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for health workersNew Zealand will require teachers and workers in the health and disability sectors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, as she extended restrictions in Auckland, its largest city, for another week.
Read more »