Researchers and U.S. health regulators are concerned that the CCP virus may quickly develop resistance to new antiviral treatments from Pfizer and Merck, prompting scientists to find new combinations that better protect against the virus. Molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is intended for use at home by adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of developing severe disease. The drug is taken orally in pill form, twice a day for five days, within five days of symptoms onset. Meanwhile, Pfizer’s oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid is taken twice per day for five days in combination with a second medicine called ritonavir, a generic antiviral drug. The drug is aimed at helping patients who are suffering from “mild-to-moderate” COVID-19 symptoms from becoming so sick that they need to be hospitalized, Pfizer said. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December issued emergency use authorizations for both of the antiviral pills and the Biden administration has already …