Covid-19 vaccines vs antivirals: Compared to jabs, why are treatments lagging behind in development?

Merck's molnupiravir showed great promise for reducing the risk of Covid-19-related hospitalisation and death in a clinical trial. The pill is pending authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and, if approved, people at high risk of severe Covid-19 would need to take four capsules twice a day for five days at the onset of infection.

To date, the FDA has only fully approved one treatment for Covid-19 – the antiviral remdesivir, which is administered intravenously (via injection) and has been found to shorten recovery time in hospitalised patients, although its effectiveness is debated.

According to the New York Times' treatments and vaccines trackers, 25 other medical treatments for Covid-19 are tentative, compared to 105 vaccines currently being tested in clinical trials.