COVID Antiviral Pills Cause Life-Threatening Reactions When Used With Many Common Meds: FDA

Pfizer’s antiviral oral drug developed to treat COVID-19 can cause severe or life-threatening reactions when used with common medications including some anticoagulants, antidepressants, and cholesterol-lowering statins, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fact sheet (pdf).

Paxlovid is the first oral medication of its kind authorized by the FDA to treat COVID-19, with the aim of reducing the need for hospitalization before patients become too ill from the infection.

“This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The FDA on Dec. 22, 2021, granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill as a treatment for mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in patients aged 12 and older. The FDA doesn’t recommend Paxlovid for those with severe kidney or liver disease.