The Food and Drug Administration will allow pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid, Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill, to eligible patients. The pill is designed to be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. (Reuters)
Pulse oximeters have been found to be less accurate for Black people. Due to higher levels of melanin, a skin pigment, measurements of oxygen in the bloodstream were less accurate in Black people than in white ones. (The Hill)
An experimental cancer drug has cut COVID deaths in half. Sabizabulin, a drug initially developed by Veru to fight cancer, reduced the risk of death by 55% in hospitalized COVID patients. (The New York Times)
The Food and Drug Administration has temporarily suspended its ban of Juul products. The e-cigarette company can keep its products on the market while the agency considers the appeal of its ban. (Bloomberg)
The Omicron subvariant BA.5 is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday that BA.5 makes up 53.6% of cases nationwide. (Fox News)
