Britain secures COVID-19 antivirals from Merck and Pfizer

• Britain said on Wednesday it had secured deals for two COVID-19 antivirals, one developed by Merck and the other by Pfizer, which it said could be used to treat patients by the end of the year if regulatory approval is granted. 
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has removed almost all COVID-19 restrictions and is relying on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to try and withstand winter pressures on hospitals given high case numbers of more than 40,000 new infections a day. 
• "We may soon have a new defence in our arsenal with two new antiviral drugs that we have secured," health minister Sajid Javid said in a statement. 
• Britain said it had secured 480,000 courses of Merck's molnupiravir, an antiviral pill which can be used in non-hospitalised patients

(Source: Reuters)