Associated Press LONDON (AP) – Britain has granted a conditional authorization to Merck’s coronavirus antiviral. It’s the first pill shown to successfully treat COVID-19. The U.K. is the first country to OK the treatment. But it wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the pill would be available. The drug is known as molnupiravir. It’s intended to be taken twice a day for five days by people at home with mild to moderate COVID-19. An antiviral pill that reduces symptoms and speeds recovery could prove groundbreaking, easing caseloads on hospitals and helping to curb outbreaks in poorer countries with fragile health systems. Molnupiravir is also pending review at regulators in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.