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JOHN WHYTE: Hello. I'm Dr. John Whyte. I'm the chief medical officer at WebMD.
You test positive for COVID, and you're not feeling well. What do you do? Specifically, what's the role of antivirals?
You might have heard about a drug called Paxlovid. Well, Paxlovid is a pill that you take by mouth, as opposed to some other therapies that are injections or infusions. It's indicated if you're 12 years of age or older, you weigh at least 88 pounds, and you test positive for coronavirus, and you're at high risk for hospitalization.
What does that mean? That means you either have certain underlying conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or obesity, or you're an older adult. Again, it's an oral pill. You take three pills a day, twice a day for 5 days, a total of 30 pills.
It's actually two separate medications, Ritonavir and Nirmatrelvir. They're designed to stop the virus from replicating. That's why it's called an antiviral. The data showed that participants in a trial who were given Paxlovid were 89% less likely to develop severe illness and death, compared to trial participants who received a placebo.
