Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 20, 2025

UK approves first COVID antiviral pill for use

UK approves first COVID antiviral pill for use

The United Kingdom (UK) has become the first country globally to approve a COVID-19 antiviral pill jointly developed by US-based Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

The potentially game-changing drug, molnupriavir, was recommended by Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in people who suffer from mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 and have at least one risk factor for developing severe illness which includes obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The drug will be administered to patients who test positive for the coronavirus and within five days of the onset of symptoms.

The MHRA said this determination is made by clinical data gathered throughout the trial phases of the drug.

The approval for the pill is the first for an oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment worldwide and it will be the very first time the drug will be administered on a wide-scale community level.

FDA to review drug’s safety this month


Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers from the United States are expected to meet on November 30 of this month to review the drug’s safety and efficacy and vote on whether the drug should be authorised for use in the US.

The pill, which is expected to be branded as Lageviro in the UK, has been designed to reprogram the genetic coding of the COVID-19 and introduce errors. The pill will be taken twice a day for at least five days.

The pill will be a welcomed addition for many people across the world as treatments to tackle the impacts of the virus are mainly focused on vaccines.

Also, the data by Merck’s on the pill has shown it could slash the possibility of dying or being severely hospitalised by COVID-19 by 50 percent.

Wider roll-out


A wider rollout will follow if it is clinically and cost-effective in reducing hospitalisations and death.

If the pill proves to be successful in the UK, it could mean good news for the Virgin Islands and other Caribbean states as they try to deal with the impacts of the pandemic. While the Virgin Islands has had higher uptake of the vaccines among citizens in comparison to other countries in the Caribbean, there is still some level of vaccine hesitancy in the territory.

However, this antiviral treatment provides an alternative for the vaccine. The statistics show that a little more than 52 percent of the population is fully vaccinated while six per cent has received its first dose of a two-dose vaccine.

While many people may have questions surrounding the validity of the antiviral drug because other drugs in the same class as molnupiravir has been linked to birth defects in animals, Merck & Co Inc said its testing data on animals indicate it is completely safe for use. However, the data is not yet made available to the public.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
×