Will there be a COVID pill? Here’s what we know about approval status, eligibility, cost, more

COVID-19 may never fully go away even after the pandemic recedes, experts warn. As with the flu, the coronavirus may eventually become part of an annual cycle of infection, with vaccines helping minimize its spread and fending off its most dangerous strains. But if you do get COVID-19, we will also have new ways to fight the infection, including the possibility of a pill you can take at home. That’s the goal of Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in their development of the first antiviral pill to fight coronavirus.

Merck’s pill, called molnupiravir, awaits US government approval. The drug giant says it can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 by 50%. And unlike another antiviral drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration that requires a needle, Merck says its medication can be taken orally at home to protect from severe illness and death.

In September, data from Johns Hopkins University showed that around 1 in 500 Americans have died from the coronavirus. While the available COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, millions of Americans have not been vaccinated. According to a September report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unvaccinated people are over 10 times more likely to get hospitalized and die from the disease than fully vaccinated people.

Here’s what we know about Merck’s antiviral drug right now. We’ll keep this story updated as more details emerge. For more on COVID-19, here’s the latest on vaccine mandates, how to keep your vaccine card handy and what to do if you lose it.

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What is Merck’s COVID-19 antiviral COVID drug?

COVID vaccines guard against infection. But for those already infected, antiviral drugs can lessen the serious effects of the disease, reducing the risk of hospitalization and death.

Antiviral drugs won’t replace the need for vaccines. Health officials see the two working side by side to keep infections in check: The vaccines prevent infection and lessen the severity of illness if you get infected. The antiviral can less the effects of the illness, regardless of vaccination status.

Merck isn’t the only pharmaceutical company making an antiviral pill for COVID-19. However, Merck’s pill is farther along in the process and could become the first antiviral drug approved to be taken orally and taken at home with a prescription. (See below for more on other antiviral drugs.)

A study of molnupiravir slashed the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% when given to non-hospitalized adult patients who tested positive for COVID-19, according to Merck.

When will the oral pill be available?

The drug could be available by the end of 2021 if federal regulators don’t turn up any problems, The New York Times reported. 

On Oct. 11, Merck applied for an emergency use authorization of its drug with the FDA. In anticipation of approval, Merck said it expects to produce 10 million courses by the end of 2021.

An FDA advisory committee is set to meet on Nov. 30 to consider the emergency use authorization.

Is it just one COVID antiviral pill or a bunch of them?

A course of the drug would require taking molnupiravir twice a day for five days.

Does swallowing a pill mean you don’t need a COVID-19 vaccine?

Vaccines and antiviral drugs serve different purposes. A vaccine is intended to provide powerful protection to keep you from getting COVID-19. An antiviral drug helps your body fight a virus if you get infected.

“The vaccine is our first-line tool for preventing hospitalization,” said Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist Jaimie Meyer. “Some people might say, ‘I’m not getting vaccinated because I’ll have access to these medications,'” she said, “but you can’t trade one for the other.”

For example, chickenpox is a common virus that can be prevented in large part through vaccination. However, there are still cases of chickenpox that affect both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and an antiviral medication may still be prescribed as a treatment. Taking that antiviral pill against the chickenpox won’t stop you from erupting into blisters all over your body, running a high fever, itching like crazy or being contagious. It won’t keep you from scarring, either. But it can help you recover a few days faster than you would have if you didn’t take the medication. 

Will this antiviral treatment be free?

That is the plan. The US government has purchased 1.7 million courses of the drug to provide for free if and when it is approved, much as it does now with the three approved vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. 

What do we know about eligibility for Merck’s antiviral pill?

In its tests, Merck’s molnupiravir pill was given to people who were unvaccinated and had tested positive with mild to moderate COVID-19 but were not hospitalized. 

According to The New York Times, the drug may be available at first to those who have tested positive and are at higher risk of serious illness. The FDA and CDC will have the final say about who will be eligible for the pill.

What do we know about the COVID pill’s side effects?

According to Merck, data from the drug’s trials showed no serious side effects to the medication and the incidences of drug-related adverse effects were comparable between those taking molnupiravir and those taking the placebo. 

We’ve reached out to Merck for more information about possible side effects.

Which other antiviral COVID drugs are there?

According to a New York Times tracker, one other antiviral drug has so far been approved for COVID-19 treatment — Remdesivir from Gilead Sciences, which was approved in October 2020. The Times is tracking 32 other possible drugs in different stages of development and approval.

Unlike Merck’s drug — which you can get from a pharmacist and take orally at home — Remdesivir requires a health care professional to give you the medication intravenously, through a needle. One dose can take 30 to 120 minutes to administer, and the drug is given once a day for 5 to 10 days, depending on the number of doses required.

For more on COVID-19, here’s the latest on COVID-19 vaccines for kids, what to know about mixing and matching vaccines and what is happening with booster shots.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.