In Denmark, doctors criticise recommendation of Merck's pill for COVID treatment: Report

The National Board of Health in Denmark has approved the use of US drugmaker Merck’s pill for COVID-19 treatment that goes under the name molnupiravir or Lagevrio. The Danish Society for General Practice(DSAM), which is the professional community of general practitioners, have criticised the decision, reported local media outlet DR.DK. Danish doctors have refused to prescribe the medicine to patients citing the documentation.

Anders Beich, DSAM’s COVID-19 spokesman, highlighted that the evidence for the impact of the COVID-19 pill is “too poor”. He expressed that they were of the view that the documentation related to the tablet is “flimsy” and further called it “ineffective”. He told DR.DK that the tablets might delay the proper treatment of patients. Beich stated that the disease might get worse in the patient if they do not take action. The Danish Medicine Agency has also criticised the recommendations of the National Board of Health on the use of medicines. 

Steen Werner Hansen, chairman of the Medical Council, pointed out that they have treatment that is effective for patients and they work better and are documented better than this pill, as per the DR.DK. Jan Gerstoft, the professor of infectious disease in Rigshospitalet, noted that the initial study of treatment showed positive results, however, it showed different results later. Gerstoft explained that the positive results were observed largely in South America, where special COVID-19 strains were witnessed. Jan Gerstoft mentioned that there was “virtually no effect” in the US and Europe. 

National Board of Health recommends the use of Merck's anti-COVID-19 pill

The National Board of Health has recommended that the tablets be prescribed to COVID-19 patients who have symptoms or belong to a certain age group, as per the DR.DK News report. The National Board of Health has recommended the molnupiravir or Lagevrio medicine for people aged above 70 years regardless of their vaccination status. The doctors can prescribe the medicine to unvaccinated people who are at increased risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, vaccinated people who are under the age of 80 years, however, they might face an increased risk of serious illness due to coronavirus. According to the National Board of Health, treatment with the tablets should be started within the first five days of the appearance of COVID-19 symptoms. 

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