FDA Considering Limiting COVID Pill Use Among Pregnant People

(Washington, DC) — The FDA is calling on independent advisers to help determine whether use of a coronavirus antiviral pill should be limited among those who are pregnant. This was revealed in agency documents posted on Friday. The pill from Merck is said to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in mild to moderate cases of COVID, and regulators are considering emergency use authorization for it in some adults. However, Merck and its partner don’t recommend the pill for those who are pregnant following studies that showed miscarriages and developmental issues among rats who received the highest doses. The FDA will reportedly ask advisors to consider not recommending the drug for pregnant people, but instead leaving it to health care providers to prescribe in certain situations.