A COVID-19 pill could soon fill a gap in our pandemic response that vaccines can’t overcome

Antivirals that can be taken orally are “one more piece of the larger puzzle of solving the COVID problem,” one public-health expert told Insider.

Companies are racing to develop a pill that can treat COVID-19. Irene Jiang/Business Insider

By Andrew Dunn

Another COVID-19 breakthrough could be just weeks away, but this time with pills instead of shots.

Two large drugmakers — Pfizer, and Roche — are anticipating late-stage-trial results before the end of the year for experimental antiviral drugs. Merck said Friday that its antiviral pill reduced hospitalization and death, and the company plans to ask the FDA for emergency authorization right away. If successful, these treatments could fill a gap not covered by vaccines: helping already infected people recover faster. They might even be able to stop people from getting sick in the first place.

These oral drugs could change how doctors treat mild and moderate COVID-19 cases and “lower people’s risk perception of the pandemic,” Matthew Harrison, a Morgan Stanley biotech analyst, wrote in a September 27 research note.

While excitement is building as the pharmaceutical giants launch more studies, don’t expect a miracle cure. If these antivirals do work and are safe — which remains to be seen — they’re likely to help only in certain…