The antiviral Paxlovid works best in people who are susceptible to getting very sick from COVID-19, such as older adults and those with serious underlying health conditions. Paxlovid is only approved for people in these categories, and it can be lifesaving.

While saving lives is of course the highest priority for a COVID-19 drug, it’s always struck me that there’s an unmet need in the medical system. Lots of people who are unlikely to get seriously ill or die when they catch COVID-19 nonetheless feel miserable for a few days and could benefit from treatment. In the U.S., there aren’t any drugs specifically meant for this population—but that’s not the case in other countries.

Antivirals currently used in Japan and China seem to work well for people of all risk levels, shortening the length and severity of COVID-19 cases even among healthier patients. That’s good both for patients and public health, since people who are infectious for shorter amounts of time are likely to sicken fewer people. But at least in the U.S., we may not get access to these drugs any time soon, I learned.

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