Merck & Co., Inc. MRK, along with partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, announced that they have filed an application seeking Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) for investigational oral antiviral medicine, molnupiravir, for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization.The application was based on positive data from the interim analysis of the phase III MOVe-OUT study that evaluated molnupiravir in the given patient population. Data from the interim analysis showed that the medicine reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by approximately 50%. The interim data also showed that 7.3% of patients treated with molnupiravir were hospitalized or died through day 29, versus 14.1% of placebo-treated patients.There was no death reported in patients treated with molnupiravir versus eight deaths reported in patients treated with placebo.If authorized by the FDA, molnupiravir would become the first oral antiviral medicine for the treatment of COVID-19. The processes for applying for emergency use of molnupiravir, to other regulatory authorities worldwide, are currently underway.Merck has a deal with the U.S. government to supply approximately 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir, once it gets the EUA from the FDA. It has been producing the pills at risk and can produce 10 million courses of treatment by the end of 2021.We note that currently available COVID-19 medicines require access to a healthcare facility or can be given to patients with severe disease. Oral antiviral pills can be taken at home by patients who are moderately infected without the need to go to a hospital, and can thus reach a much larger number of people.Few other companies like Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AVIR, Roche RHHBY and Pfizer PFE are also developing antiviral pills for the treatment of COVID-19. Time to Invest in Legal Marijuana If you’re looking for big gains, there couldn’t be a better time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion back in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027. After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could be a still greater bonanza for investors. Even before the latest wave of legalization, Zacks Investment Research has recommended pot stocks that have shot up as high as +285.9%. You’re invited to check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential.Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Roche Holding AG (RHHBY): Free Stock Analysis Report Pfizer Inc. (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK): Free Stock Analysis Report Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AVIR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.