Belgium has agreed to buy 10,000 courses each of the Covid-19 antiviral oral treatments developed by Pfizer and Merck & Co, a spokesman for the health ministry told Reuters in an emailed statement.

Governments around the world are scrambling to buy Paxlovid, the pill developed by Pfizer. Molnupiravir, jointly developed by Merck with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, faces setbacks after disappointing trial data and France said in December it had cancelled its order for the drug..

Belgium's health minister said in early December that the government was in talks with Merck to buy Molnupiravir, and Belgian health authorities had advised that both Molnupiravir and Paxlovid should be purchased.

“Both talks are finalised and we will buy 10,000 of both,” Arne Brinckman, a spokesman for the Belgian health ministry told Reuters, when asked about the possible purchase of courses of both treatments.