Covid Treatment, Paxlovid, Receives Full Approval from FDA

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer’s covid treatment pill. The antiviral treatment is meant for adults who have a high risk of getting extremely ill with the virus. That includes individuals who have weak immune systems, heart conditions, diabetes or cancer.

Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni said in a press release, “Today’s approval demonstrates that Paxlovid has met the agency’s rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness, and that it remains an important treatment option for people at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including those with prior immunity.”

Paxlovid was first made available in December 2021 under emergency use authorization by the FDA for high risk individuals. According to CNBC, the treatment was quickly approved based on preliminary clinical trial data. The granting of full approval means that there is now more extensive clinical data that indicates Paxlovid is safe and effective.

Paxlovid is viewed as an “important complementary tool” to the vaccination by both Pfizer and the FDA. According to federal data, 1.1 million courses of the treatment have been made available by the U.S. government at pharmacies across the nation.