CDER Conversations
FDA Updates on Paxlovid for Health Care Providers
FDA authorized Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) in December 2021 for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing who are also at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
Paxlovid is now widely available in community pharmacies. Although the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has decreased dramatically since early 2022, some high-risk patients are still getting sick enough to require hospital admission, and early treatment with Paxlovid and other available authorized or approved therapeutics could make a difference.
In this CDER Conversation, Dr. John Farley, director of the Office of Infectious Diseases, provides useful information that can help health care providers in decision making regarding Paxlovid, the preferred therapy for the management of non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19, according to the National Institute of Health COVID Treatment Guidelines.