An FDA panel supports Merck COVID drug in mixed vote
If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes use of the drug, called molnupiravir, it would be the first oral COVID-19 treatment that could be taken at home.
A panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration voted narrowly in favor of emergency use authorization of an antiviral pill from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to treat COVID-19.
The vote was 13 for and 10 against authorization. The FDA isn't obligated to follow the recommendations of its advisers but typically does.
