WASHINGTON — A new pill to treat COVID-19 has shown “impressive” results in clinical trials, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top medical adviser to President Biden, said during a Friday briefing by the White House pandemic response team.

The drug, called molnupiravir, is an antiviral treatment developed by the pharmaceutical giant Merck in conjunction with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. In a press release, Merck said the drug, which is taken by mouth, “significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization or death” when administered to “at risk, non-hospitalized adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. (Visko HatfNational Geographic via AP)

Merck said that after 29 days, none