The top contender is a medication from Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics called molnupiravir, Dieffenbach said. Clinical trials have followed, including an early trial of 202 participants last spring that showed that molnupiravir rapidly reduced the levels of infectious virus. Like the monoclonal antibodies, antiviral pills would be no substitute for vaccination, said Griffin. If the antiviral pills prove effective, the next challenge will be ramping up a distribution system that can rush them to people as soon as they test positive. Then we're talking about a return to, maybe, normal life."

Source: CNN September 27, 2021 15:00 UTC