383 - Molnupiravir: The Game-changing Oral Antiviral Pill for COVID-19?

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, Merck applied for FDA Emergency Use Authorization for its COVID-19 oral antiviral drug, molnupiravir. <strong>Dr. Carl Dieffenbach</strong>, director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, talks with <strong>Stephanie Desmon</strong> about how the drug works to help people recover from COVID-19 quicker and the drug’s history starting a decade ago as an experimental treatment for Ebola. Dieffenbach talks about how the drug could complement pandemic response and why it’s not a substitute for vaccination. <em>*Note: This podcast was recorded on October 6.</em></span></p>