KEY POINTS A phase 3 trial of Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ oral antiviral treatment molnupiravir showed it reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% in Covid patients. Merck plans to seek emergency use authorization in the U.S. and submit marketing applications to other global drug regulators. If authorized by regulatory bodies, molnupiravir could be the first oral antiviral medicine for Covid. “The company, when they briefed us last night, had mentioned that they will be submitting their data to the FDA imminently,” White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a Covid briefing Friday.