US: FDA approves Pfizer’s Covid antiviral pill Paxlovid for high-risk adults

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday granted full approval to Pfizer’s oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment, Paxlovid, for adults. It is a first oral antiviral pill approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 disease in adults.

The approval will also provide doctors with more flexibility in prescribing the drug to adults with severe covid symptoms.

In a statement, FDA said the efficacy of Paxlovid was primarily supported by the final results of the EPIC-HR clinical trial. Data presented by both the FDA and Pfizer helped ease safety concerns around a potential rebound in COVID-19 symptoms after a five-day Paxlovid course.