FDA Approves Paxlovid for Treatment of COVID-19 in Adults

FDA approved the oral antiviral Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19 on May 25, 2023. This is the fourth drug and first oral antiviral pill approved by FDA to treat COVID-19 in adults. Paxlovid is not approved or authorized for use as a pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19, according to the press release.

“While the pandemic has been challenging for all of us, we have made great progress mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on our lives,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, MD, director for FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a company 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. The FDA remains committed to working with sponsors to facilitate the development of new prevention and treatment options for COVID-19.”

The approval was based on the final results of the EPIC-HR clinical trial, which was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial that studied Paxlovid for the treatment of non-hospitalized symptomatic adults with a laboratory confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results showed that Paxlovid significantly reduced the proportion of people with COVID-19 related hospitalization or death from any cause through 28 days of follow-up by 86% compared to placebo among patients treated within five days of symptom onset and who did not receive COVID-19 therapeutic monoclonal antibody treatment, according to the press release.

Source: FDA