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60,000 doses of Merck’s anti-COVID pill arrive in Israel
This undated image provided by Merck & Co. shows its new antiviral medication (Merck & Co. via AP)
A shipment of approximately 60,000 doses of Merck’s anti-COVID pill lands at Ben Gurion International Airport, according to Hebrew media reports.
The Health Ministry granted approval to the pill, known as molnupiravir and sold under the name Lagevrio, earlier this month.
The pill has been reported to cut the hospitalization rate in half among patients with early signs of COVID-19. Britain, the European Union and the US authorized its use in recent months.
Israel’s first shipment of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s COVID-fighting pill, arrived in Israel a month ago.
AP contributed to this report.
