NIH says Pfizer's Paxloid should be first treatment option for certain COVID-19 patients

The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday updated its COVID-19 treatment guidelines for patients with mild to moderate forms of COVID-19 who are at high risk for disease progression. The new guidelines now include the recently authorized antivirals developed by Pfizer Inc. /zigman2/quotes/202877789/composite PFE +0.89% and Merck & Co. Inc. /zigman2/quotes/209956077/composite MRK +1.43% /Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, note that GlaxoSmithKline /zigman2/quotes/209463850/composite GSK +0.92% and Vir Biotechnology Inc.'s /zigman2/quotes/214486077/composite VIR +1.49% sotrovimab is the only monoclonal antibody that is thought to be effective against omicron, and have added a three-day course of Gilead Sciences Inc.'s /zigman2/quotes/210293917/composite GILD +2.20% Veklury as a treatment option. The panel suggests that clinicians first use Pfizer's Paxlovid, then sotrovimab, then Veklury, and the final option should be molnupiravir, which is the Merck/Ridgeback drug.

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Pfizer Inc.

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Vir Biotechnology Inc.

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