LPfizer pill against Covid-19 will be marketed: the European Medicines Agency (Ema) authorized the use of Paxlovid, an antiviral whose tests have shown its ability to prevent aggravation of symptoms and hospitalization in 90 percent of cases.
Paxlovid, the pill against Covid arrives
In the next few hours, the European Commission will therefore be able to authorize the use of the drug which will become an important new weapon to be used against the effects of the coronavirus. The medicine in fact, that will go administered as soon as possible after contagion, at the latest within 5 days of the positive swab, slows the replication of the coronavirus inside the body.
And, moreover, nnot even affected by the variants, which instead knocked out two of the three monoclonal antibodies used in Italy.
In Italy, it will arrive in the next few days and Commissioner Figliuolo announced that he had purchased 40 thousand cycles. Clearly the antiviral will not be available to all infected, but only those with risk factors which could suggest worsening of symptoms.
Paxlovid, the vaccine remains the most effective tool
The existence of the pill, in no way detracts from the fundamental importance of vaccines which, to date, are and remain the only possible tool to keep the pandemic under control.
It is clear, however, that a drug like Paxlovid can still prove to be very useful for people most at risk of develop severe symptoms or for those who cannot be vaccinated for health problems.
How it works and how it should be administered
Unlike the monoclonal antibodies, these drugs have a significant additional advantage: they can be taken at home because they are in the form of tablets and not intravenous.
The therapy lasts five days, during which 30 pills will be taken. Together with the antiviral you have to take on another one as well used against HIV, capable of prolonging the effectiveness of the first and which is called Ritonavir.
The full treatment, however, it cannot be prescribed, if the patient is already taking a long list of other medicines, which may interact with Ritonavir. Further reason why vaccination remains the main tool for curbing the pandemic.
Paxlovid: but in Italy there is already Molnupiravir
In Italy another antiviral against Covid-19 is already used. Is called Molnupiravir and is manufactured by Merck & Co (MSD Italia), but it was authorized only by AIFA and not by Ema. The molecule was originally developed to fight the flu virus, but since the arrival of the pandemic it has also been tested in Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus positive patients.
Its effectiveness though, which at first thrilled because it was estimated at 90 per cent, it was then revised downwards and is now calculated at 30 per cent. For this reason, the EMA preferred to give Pfizer priority.
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