FDA authorizes 1st antiviral pill for COVID

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/22/ [login to see] /fda-authorizes-1st-antiviral-pill-for-covid
In a highly anticipated decision, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the first antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 at home.

The pill, called Paxlovid, is made by Pfizer. It's taken twice a day for five days in combination with a second medicine called ritonavir, a generic antiviral.

"Today's authorization introduces the first treatment for COVID-19 that is in the form of a pill that is taken orally — a major step forward in the fight against this global pandemic," said Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19."

The Pfizer treatment could help keep people infected with the coronavirus from getting so sick that they need to be hospitalized.