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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

India health official says Merck COVID pill has 'major safety concerns'

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NEW DELHI: India has not added Merck's COVID-19 pill in its national treatment protocol for the disease due to some "major safety concerns", a senior health official told a media briefing on Wednesday.


"We have to remember that this drug has major safety concerns ... so it is not included in the national task-force treatment," Balram Bhargava, head of the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research, said.


Indian drugmaker Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd plans to launch https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/indias-dr-reddys-launch-generic-covid-19-merck-pill-about-50-cents-2022-01-04 its generic version of the Merck drug, called molnupiravir, from early next week.


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