The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised
Pfizer’s antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat COVID-19.
This is the first antiviral COVID-19 pill authorised for
sick people to take at home before they are sick enough to be hospitalised.
Paxlovid combines a new antiviral drug named nirmatrelvir
and an older one called ritonavir and is administered as three pills given
twice a day for five days.
In a statement on Wednesday, the FDA said those eligible for
the pill include high-risk individuals age 12 and older who weigh at least 88
pounds and have a positive SARS-CoV-2 test are eligible.
It said Paxlovid is available by prescription only and
should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of COVID-19 and within
five days of symptom onset.
Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug
Evaluation and Research, said the pill is a major step forward in the fight
against this global pandemic.
“This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19
at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make
antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for
progression to severe COVID-19,“ she said.
The agency, however, warned that “Paxlovid is not authorized
for the pre-exposure or post-exposure prevention of COVID-19 or for initiation
of treatment in those requiring hospitalization due to severe or critical
COVID-19”.
“Paxlovid is not a substitute for vaccination in individuals
for whom COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose are recommended. The FDA has
approved one vaccine and authorized others to prevent COVID-19 and serious
clinical outcomes associated with a COVID-19 infection, including
hospitalization and death. The FDA urges the public to get vaccinated and
receive a booster if eligible,” it said.
It said the side effects of Paxlovid include impaired sense
of taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure and muscle aches, adding that using the
pill at the same time as certain other drugs may result in potentially
significant drug interactions.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
They should just hand the world over nto Pfizer.
ReplyDelete