The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved the extension of the shelf-life of Merck's anti-COVID-19 drug molnupiravir to 12 months from the previous 6 months.

In a taped briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, FDA officer-in-charge Director Oscar Gutierrez Jr. said it approved the emergency use authorization of molnupiravir brands Molnarz and Molnaflu.

"Nag-apply sila ng extension ng kanilang shelf life. So nabigyan natin ng shelf life na hanggang 12 months, initially inaprubahan natin ng six months," he said.

"Nagsubmit sila ng requirements so nabigyan natin sila ng 12 months. Ito ay isang magandang balita kasi meaning ‘yung gamot na ‘yun ay patuloy ang importation at magiging available sa ating mamamayan," he said.

Meanwhile, he said nine more firms have applied to prolong the shelf life of their anti-COVID-19 medicines.

On December 21, the Philippines' FDA granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for molnupiravir.