(VOVWORLD) - Britain will start to roll out Merck's molnupiravir COVID-19 antiviral pill through a drug trial later this month, Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said on Sunday.
Last week Britain became the first country in the world to approve the potentially game-changing COVID-19 antiviral pill, jointly developed by US-based Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
The government said in October it had secured 480,000 courses of the Merck drug, as well as 250,000 courses of an antiviral pill developed by Pfizer. Pfizer says its antiviral pill slashes risk of severe COVID-19 by 89%.