Covid-19 roundup: Questions remain on US supplies of Pfizer, Merck pills as UK ramps up; Israel to go for a fourth dose for those over 60
As the FDA is poised to authorize the new Pfizer and Merck pills to treat those with Covid-19 who haven’t been hospitalized, Bloomberg reports that the US will only have limited supplies of each pill initially.
US officials said Americans should have nearly 400,000 courses of Merck’s pill available upon its authorization and 65,000 courses of Pfizer’s pill. By the end of January, the government expects 3 million Merck courses — its entire order — and 250,000 Pfizer courses. Merck’s pill has been shown to be less effective in early trials than Pfizer’s, although Merck did not test its pill head-to-head against Pfizer.
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