CHARLOTTE, N.C. — StarMed Healthcare has supplies of the first antiviral pill available to treat adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
It is most effective when it is taken within five days of being diagnosed with COVID-19, StarMed said.
The pill, manufactured by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is named molnupiravir. It was shown in clinical trials to reduce COVID-19 patients’ chance of hospitalization and death by 30%. You must be 18 or older to receive the treatment.
StarMed Healthcare has the pill treatment at its FreeMore location in west Charlotte, 4001 Tuckaseegee Rd, while supplies last. COVID-19 patients can register for the treatment here. All COVID-19 treatments are no cost to the patient, with or without insurance.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the treatment last December.
Starmed Healthcare plans to expand the pill treatment to its other locations throughout Charlotte and North Carolina. The pill treatment is for five days and is most effective if you begin as soon as you’re diagnosed with COVID-19.
“We are excited to offer this treatment that can decrease the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and lessen the chance of hospitalization and death,” Dr. Arin Piramzadian, StarMed Healthcare’s chief medical officer, said. “We look forward to helping patients who have tested positive and can benefit from this pill treatment. But this isn’t a substitute for a COVID-19 vaccination, which is still your best defense against the virus.”
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions reporting on and engaging the community around the problems and solutions as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.