One cannot overstate that both vaccine and antiviral therapeutics are needed to control viral infections. The caveat in the initial response to COVID-19 was that the severity of COVID-19 varies much: some patients have no symptoms, but others die on respirators. While only large randomized studies can give insight into whether the “drugs” help patients, clinicians and researchers were fooled into thinking that those who recovered early were helped by the test drug. Indeed, panic and disorganization dominated the study of COVID-19 drugs in the early stages of our fight with COVID-19. Currently, there are only few to name in the list of possibly efficacious therapeutics. In the present presentation, I would discuss the development of orally available therapeutics for COVID-19 based on the knowledge and skills used in the development of therapeutics for HIV infection and AIDS and its perspective.