The US Food and Drug Administration is set to authorize COVID-19 treatment pills from both Pfizer Inc and Merck as early as Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The two drugs, especially Pfizer's pill Paxlovid, are seen as promising new oral treatments that can be given to people outside of the hospital.
Pfizer Inc had said earlier this month its antiviral COVID-19 pill showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients.
Merck's pill, molnupiravir, was shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths in its clinical trial of high-risk individuals by around 30%.
The Food and Drug Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.