Two ORAL COVID-19 drugs are licensed in the United States and are effective against the Omikejong variant

On December 23, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Merck antiviral drug (Molnupiravir) monupivir for the treatment of COVID-19; in addition, on December 22, the U.S. FDA authorized Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid, the first antiviral drug in the United States to be allowed to be taken at home before a patient is hospitalized Covid-19 pills. Both drugs reduce the risk of hospitalization and death for people diagnosed with the virus COVID-19 and at risk of developing severe cases of the disease.

Monupilvir is an antiviral oral agent for adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who have tested positive for a diagnosis of the SARS-COV-2 virus and have at least one risk factor for progressing to severe disease. The monupivir, made by the pharmaceutical company Merck, is licensed for use in people 18 years of age and older who are at higher risk of serious illness if infected with the coronavirus.

Dr. Eliav Barr, merck's senior vice president of global medical affairs, told CNN that he believes the treatment could be effective against the Semickon strain. Molnupiravir significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization and death in different populations at greater risk of COVID-19. Recent preclinical evidence suggests that Molnupiravir has antiviral activity against Omicron.

According to the news of the US FDA on December 22, 2016, Pfizer's oral new crown drug "Paxlovid" became the first approved oral anti-new coronavirus drug in the United States on the same day. It is used for the treatment of mild to moderate new crown pneumonia, and is suitable for high-risk patients over 12 years old and weighing more than 40 kg.

According to a statement issued by the FDA, the drug is only available by prescription and should be taken as soon as possible within five days of the patient developing symptoms to prevent the condition from deteriorating into severe illness. "Paxlovid" consists of the new antiviral ingredient "Nirmatrelvir" and the previous antiviral component "Ritonavir", taken twice daily (12 hours apart) for three tablets (two tablets of "Nirmatrelvir" and one tablet of "Ritonavir") for five days.

Data from the "Paxlovid" clinical trial released by Pfizer on Dec. 14 showed an 89 percent effectiveness in preventing hospitalizations and deaths in patients at high risk for severe illness. Pfizer also said at the time that recent laboratory data showed that because "Paxlovid" blocked an enzyme involved in the replication process of the Omikeron virus in the experiment, it was "still effective" against the Omikeron variant.