In addition, the world body advises against its use among children and pregnant or lactating women.
The drug, produced by the German firm Merck, is consumed in pill form, and according to the WHO, if used with the first symptoms of infection, it can prevent hospitalizations.
The WHO recommends the consumption of four pills (800 milligrams) of the drug twice a day for five days, the usual time for the development of symptoms of the disease.
The UN recommendations are based on data obtained from six randomized trials involving 4,796 patients.
Doctors Without Borders already warned in 2021 that a five-day treatment with molnupiravir at market prices could cost around $700, although if it were developed with alternative generics, which, for example, are already manufactured in India, it could drop to $20.