GOV’T TO OBTAIN APPROVAL OF ORAL PILLS

[Anchor Lead]

The U.S. FDA has approved the use of Pfizer and Merk oral pills for treating COVID-19. The Korean government is trying to purchase as many pills as possible in the near future. It has already signed a deal for some 400000 doses, and plans to obtain emergency use approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety by next week.

[Pkg]

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is deliberating whether Pfizer and Merck oral pills for treating COVID-19 can be approved for emergency use in South Korea. The government decided to introduce the drugs by the end of this year. The details of the deal will likely be announced next week. Sources say the government has secured at least 404,000 doses through an advance purchase agreement. Contracts have been signed for 70,000 doses of the Pfizer pill and 242,000 doses of the Merck pill. Authorities are in talks with the pharmaceutical companies to purchase more. The government declined to comment on the details of negotiations, because as was the case with purchasing COVID-19 vaccines, importing oral pills also requires intense diplomatic efforts.

[Soundbite] Kim Ok-soo(Central Disease Control HQs) : "We are discussing the details with the pharmaceutical companies. We have agreed to keep the price of the pills confidential."

The oral pills are expected to help alleviate shortages of hospital beds, as they can be prescribed to the majority of coronavirus patients, excluding those with severe symptoms.

[Soundbite] Kim Ok-soo(Central Disease Control HQs) : "Oral pills are expected to be widely used in patients receiving at-home treatment because they are easy to take. They can be used to treat high-risk patients as well as those with mild and moderate symptoms."

Pfizer and Merck earlier gave the green light to the manufacturing of generic drugs so that low-income countries can also have access to COVID-19 pills. The South Korean government is yet to confirm if generic drugs can be mass-produced in the nation.