America's FDA Authorizes Use of Tablets to Treat Coronavirus  

US officials have announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is going to authorize the use of tablets to treat the Coronavirus.

Officials familiar with this matter added - in statements reported by the American newspaper "The Hill" - that the tablets will include the drug Paxilvid produced by Pfizer, a US drugmaker, and molnopiravir from Merck, with the aim of treating COVID-19 patients who suffer from critical symptoms.

The officials indicated that the approval could come as soon as possible, perhaps today, Wednesday.

On the fourteenth of December, Pfizer announced that a study found that its oral anti-coronavirus (COVID-19) pill, "Baxilvid", reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent for patients at high risk of complications from the deadly virus.

Pfizer said in a statement reported by the American newspaper "The Hill" that 2,246 patients who participated in the study were given "Paxlovid" within three days of onset of symptoms, and that they had mild to moderate symptoms in addition to a critical medical condition or an increased risk of severe infection with the Coronavirus.

The company added that the results were shared with the US Food and Drug Administration as part of the company's request for emergency use authorization.

The company requested permission for emergency use of "Paxlovid" from the US Food and Drug Administration in mid-November.

A previous study by Pfizer testing 389 people with Baxlovid in early November yielded similar results and found the pills to be 89 percent effective.

The company indicated that Baxlovid, unlike the COVID-19 vaccine, does not work by targeting the spike protein, but by inhibiting the replication of the virus.