South Africa's health products regulator said it had approved the use of Merck's Covid-19 pill for high-risk adults.

The South African Health Product Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said in a statement it has “authorised, with conditions, the importation of molnupiravir” for an initial period of six months.

The oral treatment is taken within five days of symptom onset and has been shown in a pre-Omicron trial to reduce Covid hospitalisations and deaths by 30 per cent among at-risk people.