Merck has asked the Federal Drug Administration to authorize the first pill to treat COVID-19. The antiviral treatment, which can be taken at home, would help ease COVID-19 patients’ symptoms and shorten recovery times, helping hospitals manage outbreaks. Merck asked the FDA to approve the drug, molnupiravir, for patients who have mild-to-moderate COVID cases but could face hospitalization. “The value here is that it’s a pill so you don’t have to deal with the infusion centers and all the factors around that,” said Dr. Nicholas Kartsonis, who works in the company’s infectious-diseases unit. “I think it’s a very powerful tool to add to the toolbox.” In its own trial, the drug decreased hospitalizations and deaths by half when used on patients in the early stages of COVID-19, Merck said.