Merck’s Covid Pill Can Be Used to Treat Adults, EU Regulator Says

Merck & Co.’s antiviral pill for Covid-19 can be used to treat adults in the European Union, the bloc’s drug regulator said, giving countries another weapon to use as a fourth wave of the pandemic sweeps the continent. Merck’s Lagevrio pill, known generically as molnupiravir, is still under review and hasn’t been formally authorized for sale. But until then, it can be used to treat adults who don’t need oxygen therapy and face an increased risk of developing severe Covid, the European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee said on Friday. National authorities may decide to use the pill in emergency settings “in light of rising rates of infection and deaths due to Covid-19 across the EU,” the regulator said. Austria imposed a nationwide lockdown on Friday, and German authorities said they wouldn’t rule out a similar move, as cases rise and intensive care facilities fill up.