The EU's medicines watchdog said on Monday that it had started a review of an oral COVID-19 medication from the U.S. pharmaceutical firm Merck.

"EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) has started a rolling review of the oral antiviral medicine molnupiravir... developed by Merck Sharp & Dohme in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults," the European Medicines Agency said in a statement.