Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, sold under the brand name Paxlovid, is a co-packaged oral medication used as a treatment for COVID-19. It contains the antiviral medications nirmatrelvir and ritonavir.In December 2021, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was granted emergency use authorization by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19. It is not authorized for the pre-exposure or post-exposure prevention of COVID-19 or for initiation of treatment in those requiring hospitalization due to severe or critical COVID-19. It was approved in the United Kingdom later that month, and in the European Union and Canada in January 2022. Medical uses
The co-packaged medication is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in people aged twelve years of age and older weighing at least 40 kilograms (88 lb) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. If administered within five days of symptom onset, the efficacy of the co-packaged medication against hospitalization or death in unvaccinated adults is about 88% (95% CI, 75–94%).As of May 2022, the effectiveness among vaccinated people and the effectiveness against long COVID were unknown. The drug does not prevent infection in people who live with an infected person.In the European Union, the co-packaged medication is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk for progressing to severe COVID-19.
Chemical & Engineering News. Vol. 100, no. 3. Regalado A (February 2022). "How Pfizer made an effective anti-covid pill". MIT Technology Review. COVID 19 Drug interaction check tool University of Liverpool