In a potential leap forward in the global fight against the pandemic, drugmaker Merck said on Friday that its experimental pill for people sick with Covid-19 reduced hospitalisations and deaths by half.

If cleared by regulators, it would be the first pill shown to treat Covid-19, adding a whole new, easy-to-use weapon to an arsenal that already includes the vaccine. A decision from the US Food and Drug Administration could come within weeks after that, and the drug, if it gets the okay, could be distributed soon afterward. All other Covid-19 treatments now authorised in the US require an IV or injection.