COVID-19 antiviral pill approved in U.K. still being reviewed by Health Canada
Global News
Merck has been supplying data to Health Canada on a rolling basis since August, when the product was still undergoing clinical trials.
Health Canada says it’s still reviewing data on an antiviral COVID-19 drug that was authorized Thursday in the United Kingdom.
The federal regulator said it continues to receive data “as new information becomes available” from pharmaceutical company Merck on their drug molnupiravir, considered the first pill to successfully treat COVID-19.
It offered no timeline for completion of the review process.
“As the review is still ongoing, it is not possible to predict when a regulatory decision will be made,” Health Canada stated by email.
While molnupiravir was granted conditional authorization for use in Britain, it wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the pill would be available there.
Merck has been supplying data to Health Canada on a rolling basis since August, when the product was still undergoing clinical trials.
Health Canada said earlier Thursday by email that it was “awaiting the final package of manufacturing data” from Merck, but said later in the day that statement was issued in error, however did not immediately elaborate.
The regulator said its review will determine whether benefits of using the drug outweigh risks and ensure it meets “stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements.”