Can antiviral drugs turn the tide on COVID-19?

The PJ Pod

There have been claims that COVID-19 oral antivirals, such as molnupiravir and Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir), will “change the course of the pandemic”. But with limited supply, a short treatment window and only a few patient groups eligible to receive them — can these drugs really turn things around? In this episode, Dawn Connelly, features editor, and Julia Robinson, clinical and science editor, answer questions from PJ readers on how they will be used in practice. They are joined by Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College London, and Fiona Marra, a consultant infectious disease pharmacist based in Scotland. Thank you to Rob Ardley, Nicola Vasey, Umeh Ali and Gareth Malson for their questions. This episode was produced by Geoff Marsh.