US President Joe Biden recently said during the State of the Union address that Americans will soon receive COVID-19 antiviral pills upon being tested positive in a clinic.
For those who want to know more about this treatment, here's everything you need to grasp about this "Test to Treat" initiative. You will also know who are the eligible persons for this program, and how this drug works.
White House Announces COVID 'Test to Treat' Program
After the FDA approved Pfizer's COVID pill Paxlovid for use, Biden announced that they will distribute one million pills to several pharmacies in late March 2022. He added that more of them will be delivered in April.
Regarding the eligibility in getting these antiviral pills, Biden explained that those people who were tested positive will be eligible to receive Paxlovid.
On Wednesday, March 2, Jeff Zients who is a Coronavirus Response Coordinator said that all people will both benefit from the free treatment and testing in their "all in one-stop" initiative.
As of press time, the officials have not yet clarified if the individuals should first present proof of insurance before receiving the antiviral pills.
In early February, Dr. Lise Choi from Massachusetts spoke to AMA that the demand for these oral antivirals was impacting their supply because of the widespread omicron cases.
"Most of the access for these medications are being directed by the state health departments to specific local health departments, pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, and physician offices," she added.
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COVID-19 Pills Aside From Paxlovid
In a report from CNET, the Paxlovid antiviral will prevent death and hospitalization brought by coronavirus if it is given within three days of the patient's symptoms, as per Pfizer.
If the oral pill is administered within two more days, the risk of severe reaction will fall by 88%.
Moreover, FDA also authorized molnupiravir, an antiviral created by Merck. However, Biden did not include it in his recent statement.
Regarding this particular drug, the report wrote that its risk of hospitalization is only down by 30% from its original 50% in the initial findings.
The Function of Antiviral Pill
In a similar report, it was mentioned that many vaccines have been effective for the prevention of the virus. However, to fully treat it, there's a need to intake oral drugs to subdue the infection.
Paxlovid is not just a single oral pill. It is composed of two medications such as nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The former is responsible for blocking SARS-CoV 2-3CL protease. This enzyme is required for the replication of the virus inside the body.
With the two drugs, the development of the COVID-19 among infected patients will be slowed down. Moreover, two tablets of nirmatrelvir and a single ritonavir tablet are required to be taken twice per day for five consecutive days. This period is when symptoms persist to appear within five days.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
