COVID-19 Pills In California: What We Know About 'Game Changer'

CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve COVID-19 pills from Merck and Pfizer by the end of December, paving the way for Californians to pick up treatments for the coronavirus at their local pharmacy.

The approval can't come soon enough as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase across the state.

As of Monday, California had 4,891,985 confirmed cases (+0.1% from previous the day) and 74,704 deaths (+0.03% from the previous day), according to state data analyzed by CalMatters. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus hospitalizations by county.

California has administered 61,499,935 vaccine doses, and 69.7% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

According to Pfizer, their new pill decreased virus levels 10-fold and cut hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90 percent when taken within three days of the onset of symptoms. Early studies also suggested it was effective against the new omicron variant of the virus, which health officials say is likely more transmissible, but not necessarily more deadly.

But health experts worry high-risk patients infected with COVID-19 may not be able to get tested and treated in that three-day timeframe. Studies of a similar drug used to limit the impact of influenza show that only 40 percent of high-risk patients got diagnosed within the three-day window to begin treatment.

Merck's pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by 30 percent in high-risk adults, according to data the company submitted to the FDA last month. Some scientists have raised concerns, though, about possible risks for pregnant women from Merck's molnupiravir, the New York Times reported.

The LA Times recently delved into what an antiviral pill could mean in California, and experts told the publication it "will hopefully decrease individuals seeking and taking unapproved, untested and potentially unsafe products."

Should the pills get the approval needed, California health officials would be in charge of the distribution when they come to the Golden State.

"The specifics of the model will depend on the details of how the FDA recommends use of the antiviral medication,” the Department of Public Health said told the LA Times, adding that the state would "ensure equitable distribution across California."

Even with the new pills, health officials say COVID tests and vaccines are still crucial to ending the pandemic.

"This is truly a game changer," said Dr. Daniel Griffin, an expert on infectious diseases and immunology at Columbia University, told CNN. "This is up there with vaccines. It's not a substitute for vaccines; we still want to get people vaccinated. But, boy, this is just another great tool to have."

Patch reporter Dave Copeland contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on the Los Angeles Patch