Nov 15, Colombo: Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Director General of Health Services, said the Technical Committee on Drugs has approved Molnupiravir, the US-made antiviral drug for Covid-19.

Earlier this month Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Drug Production, Supply and Regulation, had sent a letter to the Covid-19 Technical Committee inquiring about the feasibility of the use of Molnupiravir in Sri Lanka.

Prof. Jayasumana, said the committee approved the use of the drug in the treatment of Covid-19 patients in response to his letter of request.

Molnupiravir, developed by U.S.-based Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics is the first oral antiviral medication to be approved for the treatment of Covid-19.

The first oral antiviral COVID treatment, forces the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to mutate itself to death. The other currently authorized drugs must be delivered intravenously or injected.

The UK on November 04 became the first country in the world to approve Molnupiravir for the treatment of patients down with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.