SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s drug safety agency said on Wednesday that it has decided to give emergency approval for the use of Merck & Co Inc’s COVID-19 treatment pill for adults, the Yonhap news agency reported.
The molnupiravir tablet, branded as Lagevrio, is the second oral antiviral to be authorised in South Korea after Pfizer Inc’s Paxlovid.
Lagevrio will only be allowed for patients who are aged 18 or older and not pregnant but cannot not use injection medications and the highly effective Paxlovid, the report said.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
