(Tuesday, November 30, 2021) – The Food and Drug Administration panel has endorsed a Merck COVID-19 pill.  The move paves the way for U.S. authorization of the first at-home drug to treat the coronavirus.

The panel recommendation of molnupiravir could be a major step in treating the coronavirus.  Experts say it could give doctors the first drug they can administer to patients to take at home with hopes of offering an additional tool to reduce the strain on hospitals as a potential winter surge looms.

The recommendation came after hours of debate about the drug’s modest benefits and potential safety issues.  Experts backing the pill stressed it should not be used by pregnant woman and called on the FDA to recommend extra precautions.  The pill is already authorized for us in the U.K.