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# EUA for Merck’s Molnupiravir Covid Treatment
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/eua-for-mercks-molnupiravir-covid-treatment/
- Published: 2022-01-03T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T17:26:54.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5150827

FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Merck’s molnupiravir for treating mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease in adults with positive results of direct SARS CoV-2 viral testing who are at high risk for progressing to severe Covid-19, including hospitalization or death, and for whom alternative Covid-19 treatment options authorized by FDA are not accessible or are clinically inappropriate. An agency [statement](https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-additional-oral-antiviral-treatment-covid-19-certain?ref=fdaweb.com) says the prescription drug should be started as soon as possible after a Covid-19 diagnosis and within five days of symptom onset.

The statement says molnupiravir works by introducing errors into the SARS-CoV-2 virus genetic code that prevent the virus from further replicating.

The primary data supporting the EUA are from the MOVe-OUT trial that studied the drug for treating non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 at high risk for progression to severe Covid-19 and/or hospitalization. Of 709 people who received the treatment, 6.8% were hospitalized or died within the 29-day follow-up period, compared with 9.7% of the 699 people who received a placebo. Side effects observed during the trial included diarrhea, nausea, and dizziness.