Merck Covid-19 Pill Cleared for Use in U.K., Its First Authorization

U.K. health regulators cleared a Covid-19 drug developed by Merck & Co. with partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, becoming the first country to authorize the pill that can be taken at home and has been shown to reduce death and hospitalization in higher-risk patients.

The Merck-Ridgeback drug will give the U.K. a much-needed weapon against Covid-19 as winter approaches.