US adds Merck[-Ridgeback] pill as 2nd ["]easy-to-use drug["]* against COVID-19

Pfizer[-BioNTech]'s pill, Paxlovid, is likely to become the first-choice treatment against the virus, thanks to its superior benefits and milder side effects.

< wipes tears > restrictions as to Reasons®

The U.S. will pay about $700 for each course of Merck[-Ridgeback]'s drug, which requires patients to take four pills twice a day for five days. A review by Harvard University and King's College London estimated it costs about $18 to make each 40-pill course of treatment.
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The Merck[-Ridgeback] drug will carry a warning against use during pregnancy.
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molnupiravir should not be used in patients under age 18 because it may affect bone and cartilage growth [?].

< wipes tears > slide rule efficacy, Q, V, price points, common "adverse events" (AEs)

Pfizer's pill works differently than Merck's and doesn't carry the same risks. Additionally, Pfizer's drug was ["]roughly three times more["] effective in testing, reducing hospitalization and death by nearly 90% [?!] among high-risk patients, compared with 30% for Merck's.
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Federal officials have agreed to purchase enough of [molnupiravir] to treat 3.1 million people. ...The U.S. will pay about $700 for each course of Merck's drug, which requires patients to take four pills twice a day for five days. A review by Harvard University and King's College London estimated it costs about $18 to make each 40-pill [!] course of treatment.

* ie. oral not injectable (sub-cut, intra-musc, or IV d/b/a "infusion" of the body bag)