The government has already ordered enough of the Merck pills to treat 1.7 million Americans and will distribute them to the states if the FDA approves its use.
CHICAGO (CBS) — We could be just weeks away from having the first FDA-approved coronavirus treatment that patients can receive at home. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey has the details on what could be the first COVID pill. Merck has asked the FDA for an emergency use authorization for the first pill to treat COVID after clinical trials showed it helped save lives. “Dramatically, by 50%, reduced hospitalizations and deaths. So an oral pill that works against COVID-19 hospitalization,” said CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. David Agus. Current treatments such as Regeneron require patients to receive infusions. The Merck drug could be given at home, relieving the crush of COVID cases in hospitals.
