A media report has emerged that the UK will supply an oral COVID-19 treatment developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck & Company (MSD) to patients before Christmas this year.
According to the Daily Telegraph on the 4th of local time, British Health Minister Sajid Javid will announce that MSD's oral COVID-19 treatment 'molnupiravir' will be tested nationwide soon.
It is known that the UK government plans to provide molnupiravir within 48 hours of diagnosis to high-risk patients who are clinically susceptible to COVID-19 or who have suppressed immune responses.
Specifically, it seems that patients with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or over 60 years of age will be targeted.
Most patients will receive molnupiravir in pill form and take it at home.
The UK government expects this will reduce the burden on the health care system by preventing the development of serious conditions for COVID-19 patients at an early stage.
Initially, the British government was expected to supply molnupiravir from next year, but it is known that it has decided to advance the supply schedule as Omicron, a new mutant of Corona 19, appeared in late last month.
A government source said, "In addition to vaccines, which are the first and best line of defense, (therapeutic agent) is another line of defense we have."
Earlier last month, the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) conditionally approved the use of molnupiravir, making it the world's first case in which a health authority has approved the use of molnupiravir.
At that time, the MHRA said that it is recommended to be taken by patients 18 years of age or older who test positive for COVID-19 and have symptoms within 5 days of the onset of symptoms.
On the other hand, on the same day, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the UK was 42,848 and the daily death rate was 127, and about 160 cases of Omicron mutation infection were identified.