Morocco has authorized the use of US Merck’s molnupiravir pill for COVID-19 patients, said Bouchra Meddah, Director of Medicines and Pharmacy at the Health Ministry, according to MAP.
The Kingdom of Morocco has become among the first countries worldwide to approve this antiviral drug from the American laboratory Merck.
On November 4, the UK was the first country to approve US antiviral Merck’molnupiravir, in a move to cut the risk of hospitalization and death among COVID-19 patients as well as the unvaccinated population.
Merck’s molnupiravir has shown the efficacy to reduce the risk of severe cases and death by 50%, especially if given within the first five days of infection, Meddah said in a statement.
This antiviral pill requires a prescription from a doctor, and will be available in public hospitals, university hospitals, and private clinics, she said, adding that it will also be delivered to pharmacies.
The US Merck laboratory company has authorized several labs to make generic versions in order to make this COVID-19 drug easy to access, she said.
The Health Ministry’s official urged citizens to receive their COVID-19 vaccine shots, as well as respect precautionary measures in order to contain the virus, especially with the emergence of the new Omicron variant across the country, which is fast-spreading and affects 70% of cases.
As of Thursday, Morocco’s Health Minister, Khalid Ait Taleb said 6 people have passed away due to the Omicron variant, in addition to exceeding 70% of the total number of cases.
Late December, the Health Minister reported that the national authorities had identified 76 cases of the new Omicron variant, in addition to 246 suspected cases, and are awaiting test results.
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