EYECARE: Coronavirus BRIEFING: Crisis Response Tactics New Drugs in Primary Care: Lessons Learned From COVID-19 By Staff Friday, May 5, 2023 8:02 AM A COVID-19 combination antiviral is the most important new drug primary care physicians have prescribed in recent years, plus it has helped keep many patients out of the hospital, according to a presenter at the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians.Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir was granted emergency use authorization by the FDA late in 2021 to prevent progression to severe disease when COVID-19 cases and deaths were surging, and the Delta and Omicron variants started to spread.Gerald Smetana, MD, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, discussed nirmatrelvir-ritonavir as an example of how new drugs relevant to primary care can have a profound impact on public health. Head over to Medscape to read the full story.