Explainer: The new easy-to-use COVID-19 pill comes with a catch

For newly infected COVID-19 patients, there are two new treatment options that can be taken at home.

However, its convenience has its drawbacks. You should take the pill as soon as you experience symptoms.

The challenge is to take a test, get a prescription, and start the pill in a short window.

US regulators last week approved Pfizer tablets, Paxrovid, and Merck’s Molnupiravir. In high-risk patients, Pfizer was much more effective, but both have been shown to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization or death from COVID-19.

look carefully:

Who should take these medicines?

Antiviral drugs are not suitable for everyone who has a positive test. Pills are intended for people with mild or moderate COVID-19 who are more likely to have severe illness.It includes the elderly and others health Conditions that make them more vulnerable, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Paxlovid is licensed for children over 12 years of age, but both pills were fine for adults.

Who does not take these medicines?

Molnupiravir in Merck is not allowed for children as it can interfere with bone growth. It is also not recommended for pregnant women due to the possibility of birth defects. Pfizer tablets are not recommended for patients with serious kidney or liver problems. It may also not be the best option for some, as it may interact with other prescriptions the patient is taking. Antivirals are not allowed for people hospitalized with COVID-19.

What is a treatment window?

The pill should be started as soon as possible within 5 days of the onset of symptoms. Coughing, headaches, fever, loss of taste and smell, and muscle and body aches are more common signs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a website to check your symptoms.

Dr. Cameron Wolf, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University Hospital, advises you to be tested as soon as you have symptoms of COVID-19.

“If you wait until you start to run out of breath, you’ve already missed to a large extent the windows where these drugs are useful,” Wolff said.

Where can I get pills?

First you will need a prescription from your doctor or other licensed person health worker. The US government buys tablets from Merck and Pfizer and offers them free of charge, but the supply is initially limited.They will be shipped to drugstores, states available to the community health Centers and other places. Treatment lasts 5 days.

Some pharmacists may perform a brief test for COVID-19 and prescribe all tablets in a single visit. They are already doing this in many states due to influenza and streptococcal pharyngitis.

Do pills work with Omicron variants?

Tablets are expected to be effective against Omicron because they do not target peplomer, where most of the nasty mutations in the variant are present. The two pills work in different ways to prevent the propagation of the virus.

Are there other options for new COVID-19 patients?

Yes. However, it is not as easy to use as tablets. It is usually given by infusion or injection in a hospital or clinic. Three drugs provide antibodies that fight the virus, but laboratory tests suggest that two are not effective against Omicron. The antibody drug from the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline appears to be working, and authorities say they are working to increase supply in the United States. Remdesivir, the only antiviral drug approved in the United States, is for people hospitalized with COVID-19.

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AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this report. Follow Tom Murphy on Twitter @thpmurphy.

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The Associated Press’s Department of Health Sciences is supported by the Science Education Department of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is solely responsible for all content.