Today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for emergency use Pfizer's Paxlovid, the first oral pill meant to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection in patients who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness.The pill is authorized for patients ages 12 and older, and should be started within 5 days of COVID-19 symptom onset.
It could be available for US doctors to prescribe in a matter of days.The drug is highly effective: Earlier this year Pfizer shared study results that showed a 30-pill regimen reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 88% in unvaccinated patients, and newer data suggest it is effective against the Omicron variant.Last week, the White House confirmed that the federal government had ordered