This guidance replaces previous conditional recommendations for the use of these drugs and is based on emerging evidence that they’re not likely to work against omicron.
We hear a lot about drug-resistant bacteria. The same thing can happen with viruses.
President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21, 2022, but was reportedly feeling well enough to work and take calls, as seen in this photo released by the White House.
Adam Schultz/The White House via AP
According to a letter from Biden’s doctor, the president has a runny nose, mild fatigue and a slight cough. The letter also noted that Biden began taking an antiviral drug the morning he tested positive.
Emergency medical technicians aid a COVID-19 patient at his home in Louisville, Kentucky. Like much of the U.S., Louisville is experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 patients requiring emergency transport to medical facilities.
John Cherry/Getty Images
Medications to treat COVID-19 are in no way a substitute for the vaccine. But under the right circumstances, some show great promise for helping patients.
This treatment would work by targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself and stopping it in its tracks. The evidence we have so far is promising, but it’s still very early days.
A year after it became clear that COVID-19 was becoming a pandemic, there is still no cure, but doctors have several innovative treatments. Some are keeping patients out of the hospital entirely.
The average price for an orphan drug is more than $150,000 per year.
GP Kidd/Cultura/Getty Images
The development of multiple vaccines against the virus that causes COVID-19 has been hailed as the breakthrough of 2020. But there were many more supporting discoveries that made this possible.
Y-shaped proteins called antibodies are vital for attacking and destroying the virus.
Dr_Microbe/Getty Images
Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic molecules manufactured in the lab. But do we need them if a vaccine is on its way?
The discovery of effective drugs and experience treating COVID-19 gives patients a much better chance at recovery today than early on in the pandemic.
AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool
Monica Gandhi, University of California, San Francisco
Death rates for hospitalized COVID-19 patients fell from 25.6% in March to 7.6% in August, according to a new study on three hospitals in New York. A study in the UK found similar results.
The president and first lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for the coronavirus. Here’s what the physicians and scientists know about the best treatments for the disease it causes.
Black markets thrive online and flourish during pandemics and other crises.
Marko Klaric/EyeEm via Getty Images
The global pandemic has fueled illicit online sales of COVID-19 commodities, some of which are dangerous or illegal. Researchers are assessing the size and reach of this underground market.
Most people diagnosed with COVID-19 can manage their illness at home. But some patients deteriorate after about 5 days. Fortunately, Australian doctors have up-to-the-minute treatment guidelines.
Indian health workers doing health checks in Mumbai, June 17, 2020.
AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File
Nicole Hassoun, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The high cost of pharmaceuticals often means only the richest patients get lifesaving medicines. As coronavirus drugs emerge, it will require hard, creative work to ensure they’re available to all.
Daniel O'Day, CEO of Gilead speaks during a meeting with President Trump and Vice President Pence at the White House.
Erin Schaff/EPA
Word that the U.S. has bought up the entire supply of the COVID-19 drug remdesivir is another reminder that in a pandemic, treatments and vaccines need to be accessible to everyone, globally.