Johannesburg – South Africa’s health products regulator said on Thursday it had approved the use of Merck’s Covid-19 pill for high-risk adults.
The South African Health Product Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said in a statement it has “authorised, with conditions, the importation of molnupiravir” for an initial period of six months.
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The oral treatment is taken within five days of symptom onset and has been shown in a pre-Omicron trial to reduce Covid hospitalisations and deaths by 30 percent among at-risk people.
“The authorisation of molnupiravir for compassionate use offers further therapy in the fight against Covid-19,” said the regulator’s CEO, Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela.
With more than 3.6 million diagnosed infections and over 96,000 deaths, South Africa’s pandemic toll is the highest on the continent.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Unsplash
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