The Expanding Arsenal of Oral Agents to Treat Covid-19

This editorial summarizes an audio discussion among NEJM editors reviewing progress and prospects in oral Covid-19 therapeutics. It highlights continued global transmission and the urgent need for antiviral options amid the pandemic’s public health emergency designation. The editors focus on existing oral agents like nirmatrelvir and introduce investigational candidates including VV116, discussing their mechanisms, accessibility, and evolving clinical evidence. The conversation centers on how emerging therapies could reshape outpatient treatment pathways and reduce hospitalization rates. Authors emphasize the importance of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts and the role of evidence-based evaluations in drug deployment.

This editorial summarizes an audio discussion among NEJM editors reviewing progress and prospects in oral Covid-19 therapeutics. It highlights continued global transmission and the urgent need for antiviral options amid the pandemic’s public health emergency designation. The editors focus on existing oral agents like nirmatrelvir and introduce investigational candidates including VV116, discussing their mechanisms, accessibility, and evolving clinical evidence. The conversation centers on how emerging therapies could reshape outpatient treatment pathways and reduce hospitalization rates. Authors emphasize the importance of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts and the role of evidence-based evaluations in drug deployment.