(Reuters) – A panel of experts advising the US drug regulator on Tuesday recommended, by a narrow majority, the urgent authorization of the antiviral treatment against COVID-19 developed by the Merck laboratory.
If the FDA decides to follow this recommendation, it will be the first oral treatment authorized in the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
It is likely that authorization of molnupiravir, the name of the capsule treatment developed by Merck, will be restricted to people at high risk of developing a severe form of the disease.
The vote came as the appearance of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has rekindled health concerns around the world, with fears that a new wave of the pandemic is weighing on the economy.
(Reportage Manas Mishra in Bangalore; French version Jean Terzian)
–
