A top infectious disease researcher believes the antiviral COVID pill by Merck will be approved for use, and that similiar medications should soon follow.
But the University of Minnesota's Dr. Michael Osterholm cautions that these medications aren't the magic potion that'll stop the pandemic.
"It's not a miracle, it's not a fail-safe issue, you don't want to count on it," Dr. Osterholm told Susie Jones on the WCCO Morning News, reiterating that vaccination is still the best measure to take against COVID.
He has given his full support, though, to new pill and those that follow.
"It reduces hospitalizations among those who are most likely to be hospitalized by about fifty percent, and it also causes a reduction of death," he said of the Merck pill.
"It's one of several pills coming down the pike right now that will be very important in terms of how we're able to help people who do get infected with the virus."
If cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, the Merk treatment would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19, adding a new, easy-to-use weapon to the world's arsenal against the pandemic.
The FDA will scrutinize company data on the drug's safety and effectiveness before rendering a decision.
All COVID-19 drugs now authorized by the FDA require an IV or injection.