Just more than two years since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in the U.S., scientists have created a powerful tool against the virus.
A flurry of regulatory, testing and logistical issues is complicating the rollout, potentially requiring people with symptoms to make multiple stops at doctors’ offices or testing sites within the five-day window when the drugs are recommended,” Politico reported on Sunday.
The antiviral COVID-19 pills “are less expensive and more practical than the single antibody treatment shown to be effective against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, which has to be administered in a clinical setting. The key is, a series of pills must be started within days of the onset of symptoms — and after a test confirms a Covid-19 infection,” the liberal political website said.
“The pills’ emergency use authorizations are written so that prescribing power is limited to doctors and certain health care workers often found in a physician’s practice. That could create an access merry-go-round where patients may need to visit a testing site, a doctor’s office and then a participating pharmacy just to get the drugs
