Molnupiravir invented at Emory University before COVID19 pandemic, shown promise against all sort of viruses - and Trump administration is extremely interested to invest in the research of it.

Trump HHS official Robert Kadlec urged BARDA in Nov 2019 to invest millions into the "miracle cure". However Rick Bright, the former BARDA director turn "whistleblower" refused, claiming that the request is based on political connections and cronyism.

Molnupiravir, licensed by Emory to Ridgeback, was unable to get funding in April 2020 (at the height of the pandemic) is taken up by Merck and privately funded.

In the end, Molnupiravir is proven to be the ONLY pill administered COVID19 drug that is showing tremendously promise in it's Phase 3 trial (reduce serious covid by at least 50%), and is currently seeking FDA emergency-use authorization (EUA) - which would likely herald the end of the pandemic and return world back to normalcy.

https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/singapore-inks-deal-merck-antiviral-pill-treat-covid-19-and-its-variants
https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgebacks-investigational-oral-antiviral-molnupiravir-reduced-the-risk-of-hospitalization-or-death-by-approximately-50-percent-compared-to-placebo-for-patients-with-mild-or-moderat/
https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgeback-announce-submission-of-emergency-use-authorization-application-to-the-u-s-fda-for-molnupiravir-an-investigational-oral-antiviral-medicine-for-the-treatment-of-mild-to-moderate-c/
https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/singapore/covid-merck-to-supply-spore-with-antiviral-drug-molnupiravir/ar-AAPbkyW?ocid=uxbndlbing
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/what-is-currently-known-about-anticovid-pill-molnupiravir/
https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/05/government-funding-backed-molnupiravir-possible-new-covid-19-treatment/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/merck-asks-fda-to-authorize-promising-covid-19-pill/ar-AAPmLAm?ocid=DE_20211011_ENUS_coronavirus_1
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/10/14/fda-unlikely-to-rule-on-merck-s-covid-pill-before-december/
https://news.yahoo.com/merck-backed-covid-antiviral-trump-230331349.html
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/575850-matt-taibbi-says-merck-covid-19-antiviral-pill-could-have-been-out-a-lot
https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-remedy-antiviral-government-funding-merck-molnupiravir-11633897174
https://ricochet.com/1069748/the-wall-street-journal-sets-axios-straight-on-what-delayed-the-development-of-molnupiravir/
https://www.evaluate.com/vantage/articles/news/snippets/veklury-confirms-its-modest-benefit-mercks-antiviral-advances
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04393038
https://www.ncbiotech.org/news/biocryst-stops-covid-19-work-target-other-viral-rd
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/monulparivir-the-drug-that-completely-stops-the-spread-of-coronavirus-in-24-hours/ar-BB1bFDTw
https://news.emory.edu/stories/2021/04/coronavirus_molnupiravir_india/index.html