FDA authorizes second COVID-19 pill, from Merck

FDA authorizes second COVID-19 pill, from Merck The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized a COVID-19 treatment from Merck, marking the second pill to become available to fight the virus. Peter Sullivan TheHill

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This authorization is more limited than one on Wednesday for a Pfizer pill. The FDA authorized the Merck pill, developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, for high-risk adults "for whom alternative COVID-19 treatment options authorized by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate."

That is, if other options are not available, the Merck pill can be used.

That limitation reflects that the Pfizer pill has demonstrated significantly stronger results in trials. The Pfizer pill was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk patients by 89 percent, while the Merck pill had a 30 percent reduction.

The Merck pill is expected to be in greater supply early on, though. The White House said Wednesday that 3 million courses of the Merck pill would be available in January, compared to 265,000 for Pfizer. ...