Competitor Merck's Covid-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it. Fewer than 1 percent of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized and no one died. Patients who received the drug earlier showed slightly better results, underscoring the need for speedy testing and treatment. The company reported in September that its drug cut rates of hospitalization and death by 50 percent. "There's a big difference between 50 percent and 90 percent, but we need to make sure the populations were comparable."

Source: Manila Times November 06, 2021 17:03 UTC