Two medicines, side by side
Amiodarone vs nirmatrelvir/ritonavir
Amiodarone has no indication this site maps; nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for covid-19. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of amiodarone since 1985 and of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir since 2023. Pharmacies paid $0.122 per amiodarone HCl 200 mg tablet and $49.24 per unit (Paxlovid 300-100 mg dose pack) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ and one is a brand and one a generic, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the amiodarone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 9, 2025); the nirmatrelvir/ritonavir FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 19, 2026).
Highlights of the amiodarone record
Amiodarone (Pacerone) · label of December 9, 2025
PULMONARY, HEPATIC AND CARDIAC TOXICITY Amiodarone hydrochloride is intended for use only in patients with the indicated life-threatening arrhythmias because its use is accompanied by substantial toxicity [see Indications and Usage (1) ]. Amiodarone hydrochloride can cause pulmonary toxicity (hypersensitivity pneumonitis or interstitial/alveolar pneumonitis) that has resulted in clinically manifest disease at rates as high as 17% in some series of patients.
Used for
From the label: indicationsAmiodarone hydrochloride is indicated for the treatment of documented, life-threatening recurrent ventricular fibrillation and life-threatening recurrent hemodynamically unstable tachycardia in adults who have not responded to adequate doses of other available antiarrhythmics or when alternative agents cannot be tolerated. Amiodarone hydrochloride is an antiarrhythmic indicated for: Recurrent ventricular fibrillation. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 24, 1985
- Generic labelers
- 32 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.122 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 7
Highlights of the nirmatrelvir and ritonavir record
Nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid) · label of February 19, 2026
SIGNIFICANT DRUG INTERACTIONS WITH PAXLOVID
PAXLOVID includes ritonavir, a strong CYP3A inhibitor, which may lead to greater exposure of certain concomitant medications, resulting in potentially severe, life-threatening, or fatal events [see Contraindications (4), Warnings and Precautions (5.1), and Drug Interactions (7) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsPAXLOVID is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 25, 2023
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $49.24 per unit
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Amiodarone label of December 9, 2025, Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir label of February 19, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do amiodarone and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Amiodarone, “Amiodarone is considered a class III antiarrhythmic drug, but it possesses electrophysiologic characteristics of all four Vaughan Williams classes.”; Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, “Ritonavir is an HIV-1 protease inhibitor but is not active against SARS-CoV-2 M pro.”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: amiodarone since 1998; nirmatrelvir/ritonavir none approved (Drugs@FDA).
| Amiodarone | Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | n/a | COVID-19 |
| Pharmacologic class | Antiarrhythmic | n/a |
| How it works (label) | Amiodarone is considered a class III antiarrhythmic drug, but it possesses electrophysiologic characteristics of all four Vaughan Williams classes. | Nirmatrelvir is a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antiviral drug [see Microbiology (12.4) ]. Ritonavir is an HIV-1 protease inhibitor but is not active against SARS-CoV-2 M pro. |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination Following single dose administration in 12 healthy subjects, amiodarone exhibited multi- compartmental pharmacokinetics with a mean apparent plasma terminal elimination half-life of 58 days (range 15 to 142 … | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | December 24, 1985 | May 25, 2023 |
| First generic approved | April 30, 1998 | none |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 32 labelers | none listed |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.122 per tablet (Amiodarone HCl 200 mg tablet) | $49.24 per unit (Paxlovid 300-100 mg dose pack) |
| 12-month price change | +4% | +3% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 11,139 | 53,820 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir label, contraindicationsAntiarrhythmic: amiodarone, dronedarone, flecainide, propafenone, quinidine
Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir label, drug interactionsDrug Class: Antiarrhythmics; Drugs within Class: amiodarone, dronedarone, flecainide, propafenone, quinidine; Effect on Concentration: ↑ antiarrhythmic; Clinical Comments: Co-administration contraindicated due to potential for cardiac arrhythmias [see ].
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to amiodarone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions