It’s another case of bureaucratic incompetence as the omicron wave surges.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it has finally gotten around to issuing an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer’s oral antiviral medication Paxlovid for the treatment of COVID-19. Pfizer reported earlier this month that its clinical trial found that the medication « reduced risk of hospitalization or death by 89% (within three days of symptom onset) and 88% (within five days of symptom onset) compared to placebo; no deaths compared to placebo in non-hospitalized, high-risk adults with COVID-19. » Paxlovid is a combination of the ritonavir protease HIV inhibitor and a new protease inhibitor that targets a specific enzyme that the coronavirus, including the omicron variant, needs to replicate and grow.
