
COVID-19 pills could be a game changer — if you can get your hands on them
CBSN
COVID-19 patients in Wyoming eager to get their hands on Pfizer's new antiviral pill for treating the disease may want to draw straws. With supplies extremely limited for now, the Biden administration initially will provide the state with only 100 courses of the drug.
Other small states are also getting small allotments of the pill, called Paxlovid (see chart below). Alaska and North Dakota will each receive 120 courses, while South Dakota, Delaware and Montana will get 140, 160 and 180, respectively, according to a breakdown from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Until Pfizer can ramp up production in 2022, Paxlovid supplies will be scarce in larger states as well. The government will provide California with an initial supply of 6,180 courses. Given the state's population of more than 39 million people, that amounts to roughly one treatment per 6,300 residents. Texas, with 30 million people, is set to get 4,240 courses of Paxlovid.

Merryl Hoffman knew she was taking good care of her heart. The 63-year-old attorney didn't smoke or drink, and she was an avid hiker who used to run marathons and other distance races. In her 40s, she had been diagnosed with a leaky mitral valve and underwent surgery to repair it. Every year since, she has seen a cardiologist to check her heart and its function. The reports always came back clear.

FDA to "review the latest data" on mifepristone. What could it mean for access to the abortion pill?
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary "to review the latest data on mifepristone," raising questions about the drug commonly referred to as the abortion pill.