Opinion | Should Young and Healthy Patients Take Paxlovid?
The development of an oral anti-viral medication that could reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in unvaccinated high-risk individuals was nothing short of game-changing and something that clinicians like me were clamoring for. This milestone was achieved with the FDA’s granting of emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer’s nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) in December 2021. The active ingredient […]
Oral antiviral drug effective against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
An oral antiviral drug that targets a key part of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) polymerase and inhibits the synthesis of viral genetic material has been identified, a finding that could provide an effective treatment against RSV disease, according to researchers in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research at Georgia State University. The findings, published […]
Experts Break Down What Could Help Improve Access to Paxlovid
Access to Paxlovid, the first oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, has expanded since the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-made medication in December. However, physicians and pharmacists say there is still more that can be done to make sure the potentially life-saving drug reaches the right people at the right time. […]
New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice: A single inhaled dose treated or even prevented infection by COVID-19 and its variants
A new protein-based antiviral nasal spray developed by researchers at Northwestern University, University of Washington and Washington University at St. Louis is being advanced toward Phase I human clinical trials to treat COVID-19. Designed computationally and refined in the laboratory, the new protein therapies thwarted infection by interfering with the virus’ ability to enter cells. […]
Biden Administration Unveils $3.2 Billion Hunt For Pill To Treat COVID-19, Other Viruses
The Biden administration said Thursday it would invest $3.2 billion to speed the development of antiviral pills that could treat COVID-19 and other viruses, a major step that could save many lives in future pandemics. The Department of Health and Human Services said the plan, dubbed the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, would accelerate and expand […]
Fewer Hepatitis C Patients Seeking Treatment of Late
The number of people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) treated with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) dropped sharply in 2020, accelerating a decline that began in 2015, CDC researchers found. While 843,362 individuals from 2014-2020 were estimated to receive DAAs for HCV, only 83,740 initiated DAA treatment in 2020, down from 114,893 in 2019 and a […]
Researchers uncover the biology and treatment behind a rare autoinflammatory disease
The absence of a protein that activates the body’s antiviral defenses can cause a rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition that is treatable with an FDA-approved class of drugs known as TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors, a global research team led by Mount Sinai has found. The condition, which is now termed TBK1 deficiency, was previously known […]