64,970 Pfizer COVID-19 Pills Ship Throughout the U.S.

In the U.S. market, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response oversees the fair and equitable allocation of Paxlovid, Pfizer Inc.'s oral antiviral therapeutic targeting the SARS-CoV-2 betacoronavirus to prevent COVID-19.

On January 7, the U.S. government announced it had distributed 64,970 doses to U.S. states, territories, and agencies. The actual distribution list is published on this webpage.

To meet future patient demands, the U.S. Government had ordered 20 million treatments as of January 4, 2022.

Approximately 10 million Paxlovid treatment courses have been accelerated for delivery by the end of June 2022, with the remaining 10 million to follow by the end of September 2022.

Internationally, Paxlovid has been authorized in Europe, Israel, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

By inhibiting the main protease, Paxlovid prevents the coronavirus from cleaving long protein chains into the parts it needs to reproduce itself. 

Additionally, Paxlovid is co-administered with a low dose of ritonavir that helps slow the metabolism, or breakdown, of the antiviral, allowing it to remain active in the body longer.

As of January 7, 2022, the U.S. NIH OpenData Portal reports in vitro Therapeutic Activity against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants, including the Omicron variant.