[ti:U.S. Health Officials Approve New COVID-19 Drug]
[al:Health & Lifestyle]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2021-12-31]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]U.S. health officials recently approved the first drug against COVID-19 that Americans can take at home to reduce the effects of the new coronavirus.
[00:13.19]The approval comes as U.S. cases and hospitalizations are rising in some places. 
[00:20.40]Health officials warn of a large wave of new infections from the Omicron version, or variant, of the virus.
[00:29.63]They are concerned it could fill up hospitals.
[00:33.71]The drug, Paxlovid, is made by U.S. drug company Pfizer.
[00:39.66]It is being called a faster way to treat early COVID-19 infections.
[00:44.92]However, supplies will be limited for some time.
[00:49.44]Paxlovid is a pill - a drug that is taken through the mouth.
[00:54.85]All the earlier approved drugs against the disease require injection directly into the blood.
[01:03.59]Another pill from Merck also is expected to soon gain approval.
[01:09.17]Pfizer's drug has been praised for limited side effects and high effectiveness.
[01:15.64]Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota spoke about Paxlovid.
[01:21.58]He said: "You're looking at a 90% decreased risk of hospitalization and death in a high-risk group - that's stunning."
[01:31.97]Stunning is a term that means very surprising.
[01:36.72]The Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's drug for adults and children ages 12 and older. 
[01:45.18]The drug is to be given if tests show a patient is infected with the new coronavirus and has early symptoms.
[01:54.80]The drug is to be used with those who face the highest risks of hospitalization. 
[02:00.65]That includes older people and those with conditions like being severely overweight or having heart disease.
[02:09.66]The drug is not recommended for patients with severe kidney or liver problems. 
[02:14.87]Children must weigh at least 40 kilograms to be able to take the drug.
[02:20.92]The pills from both Pfizer and Merck are expected to be effective against Omicron because they do not target a special protein on the surface of the virus. 
[02:32.60]That is where most of the variants' changes take place.
[02:38.77]Still, some experts say there are limits to what Paxlovid can do. 
[02:42.66]Paxlovid has only proven effective if given within five days of symptoms appearing. 
[02:49.48]Experts worry it may be unrealistic for patients to identify the disease, get tested, see a doctor and get the medicine within that time.
[03:01.81]"If you go outside that window of time I fully expect the effectiveness of this drug is going to fall," said Andrew Pekosz, a Johns Hopkins University virologist.
[03:14.69]Pfizer currently has 180,000 treatments available worldwide. 
[03:20.80]The company said it expects to have 250,000 available in the U.S. by the end of January.
[03:29.06]Pfizer said the nine-month manufacturing time is the cause of the low supply.
[03:36.07]The company says it can reduce production time by half in the next year.
[03:42.13]The U.S. government has agreed to purchase enough Paxlovid to treat 10 million people, and it will be provided to patients at no cost. 
[03:52.67]Pfizer said it could produce 80 million treatments next year, under agreements with Britain, Australia and other nations.
[04:01.79]Health experts agree that vaccination remains the best way to protect against COVID-19.
[04:07.99]But effective drugs will be important to reduce the severity of infections.
[04:14.69]I'm John Russell.
