Do any drugs prevent or treat COVID-19?

Answer:

There are currently no FDA authorized or approved drugs for post-exposure prevention of COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant. However, there is a monoclonal antibody therapy (EVUSHELD) for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in certain people — although it may provide less protection against Omicron variants compared to earlier strains.

Two drugs — Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir) and remdesivir (Veklury) — are the preferred treatments for eligible adults and children with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease. One of these treatments is also strongly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and might also reduce the risk of long COVID. Among people who are unable to receive these preferred treatments, bebtelovimab and Lagevrio (molnupiravir) are alternative therapies for authorized for eligible individuals.

The FDA had previously authorized three other monoclonal antibody combination therapies — REGEN-COV (casirivimab plus imdevimab), bamlanivimab plus etesevimab, and sotrovimab — for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 and (for REGEN-COV and bamlanivimab plus etesevimab) to help prevent infection in people exposed to someone with COVID-19, but these monoclonal antibody therapies are no longer authorized for use in any U.S. state.

Sign in as a member for more information about these drugs, including who can receive these treatments, when the treatments should be initiated to be effective, which of these treatments appear to be effective against Omicron variants in certain age groups, and details about COVID-19 "rebound" after Paxlovid treatment, and what steps should be taken by people who experience rebound. Also find out how to locate in your area a "test to treat" pharmacy that can test people for COVID-19 and treat those who test positive.

ConsumerLab will update this article when and if other post-exposure prophylaxis treatments become available.