Drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use.

If cleared, the drug would be the first pill shown to treat COVID-19, a potentially major step forward in global efforts to control the pandemic. All COVID-19 therapies now authorized in the U.S. require an IV or injection. A pill that could be taken at home, by contrast, could keep many patients out of the hospital, easing the workload on strained health care professionals.

Company executives said they plan to submit the data for review by the Food and Drug Administration in coming days. Once the submission is complete, the FDA could make a decision within weeks — and, if OK’d, the drug could be on the market soon after.

The Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sent an email Thursday afternoon addressing a TikTok personality who visited the St. Paul neighborhood earlier that day.

According to the email, the speaker talked to a group that included St. Thomas students for about an hour on public property outside of campus “in offensive and crude terms.”

Luana Karl can be reached at karl2414@stthomas.edu.