Biden Moves to Double the Government’s Order of New Pfizer COVID-19 Pill

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Jan. 3, 2022. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

President Joe Biden Tuesday directed the federal government to double its purchase of Pfizer’s oral antiviral treatment, Paxlovid. This addition increases the U.S. total purchase from Pfizer from 10 million to 20 million therapeutic courses of the new pill.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of Paxlovid last month for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients over the age of 12.