Molnupiravir: All you need to know about the oral anti-Covid pill

World's first oral anti-Covid pill, Molnupiravir, has been approved by the UK and is likely to green light in India soon. It's been hailed as a gamechanger in the fight against Covid-19.

Here's all you need to know about the anti-Covid pill:

• Approved for use in the UK, likely to get nod in India soon
• First oral medicine in the world to be approved for use against Covid
• Developed by the pharmaceutical companies Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck, Sharp and Dohme
• The antiviral drug molnupiravir was originally developed to treat the flu
• Meant for adults at risk for progressing to severe Covid or hospitalisation
• To be given to patients within 5 days of symptoms appearing
• Will be given twice a day to patients recently diagnosed with Covid
• Molnupiravir works by disrupting the virus’s reproduction.
• Reduces the risk of hospitalisation or Covid death by 50%
• Ineffective if it’s taken after the patient is hospitalised
• The treatment can be given to both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients

Also Read: Oral anti-Covid pill may be cleared for use within days: report