Pfizer said on Monday (June 6) it would spend $120 million to expand manufacturing of its COVID-19 antiviral treatment at its Michigan plant, as demand ramps up.
Use of the pill, Paxlovid, authorized to treat newly infected, at-risk people to prevent severe COVID-19, has soared recently as infections rise.
Biden administration officials have pushed for the wider use of Paxlovid, which the government distributes for free.
Meanwhile, the CDC is warning of potential “COVID-19 rebound” after a five-day course of the treatment.
“If you take Paxlovid, you might get symptoms again,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CBS News last week.
Triple-vaccinated Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley has re-tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after taking Pfizer’s Paxlovid.
This is the second time Merkley has tested positive in two weeks. The 65-year-old Democrat announced he had the disease on May 23 and experienced mild symptoms.
In a statement on Thursday (June 2), Merkley said what happened to him is also happening to other people who used Paxlovid. It is referred to as “COVID-19 rebound.”
“I am following CDC guidelines to isolate and will return to in-person work as soon as I am able,” Merkley wrote.
“This is yet another reminder that the virus is evolving and changing, and we all must be diligent to stay one-step ahead. We know the best ways to mitigate the spread: getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing masks, and isolating and testing when you know you have been exposed,” he added.