The federal Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir), the first antiviral pill for the treatment of COVID-19.
The December 22 authorization comes just in time, as the coronavirus Omicron variant is spreading rapidly throughout the United States, but supplies will initially be limited. "This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and [it] promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19," Dr.
Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, stated in a news release. Paxlovid, from Pfizer, is