Oct 11 (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) said on Monday it has applied for U.S. emergency use authorization for its tablet to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19, putting it on course to become the first oral antiviral medication for the disease.An authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could help change clinical management of COVID-19 as the pill can be taken at home.Also read: AstraZeneca antibody cocktail succeeds in late-stage study to treat COVID-19The treatment, molnupiravir, cut the rate of hospitalization and death by 50% in a trial of mild-to-moderately ill patients who had at least one risk factor for the disease, according to data released earlier this month.The interim efficacy data on the drug, developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, had heavily dented the shares of COVID-19 vaccine makers and set off a scramble among nations, including Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore, to sign a supply deal with Merck.The drugmaker has a U.S. government contract to supply 1.7 million courses at a price of $700 per course. Merck expects to produce 10 million courses of the treatment by the end of 2021.It has also agreed to license the drug to several India-based generic drugmakers, which are expected to supply the treatment to more than 100 low- and middle-income countries.Existing drugs from Gilead Sciences Inc's (GILD.O) infused antiviral remdesivir and generic steroid dexamethasone are generally given only once a patient is hospitalized.Monoclonal antibody drugs from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (REGN.O) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), which are typically infused as well, have so far seen only limited use due to the difficulty in administering them.Reporting by Manas Mishra and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.