Vaccines offer the best protection against medical misery caused by corona, but cannot prevent every hospitalization. That is why doctors are desperate for extra resources that prevent people from ending up in hospital.
Patients take Pfizer’s pill, called Paxlovid, at home within five days of the onset of their covid symptoms. They then take the virus inhibitor, which consists of a combination of two drugs, for five days. Paxlovid is intended for corona patients who do not receive extra oxygen and who are at risk of serious illness from the corona virus. Ton de Boer, chairman of the Medicines Evaluation Board: ‘Think of diabetes patients, people with cancer, people who are overweight.’
The EMA’s judgment is based on a study of more than two thousand Covid-19 patients. After taking the pills, 0.8 percent still had to go to hospital. None of them died as a result of the virus. In the placebo group, 6.3 percent of patients experienced hospitalization and nine people died.
Reserves
In addition to enthusiasm for such corona pills, doctors and epidemiologists also have reservations. The patients in the study became infected with the delta variant. Although lab studies show that the pill also works for the omikron variant that is currently dominant, it remains to be seen in practice whether the effect is just as strong.
In addition, there are logistical challenges. Patients who are eligible for the pill should be treated with it quickly after an infection. The first study results show that eighteen people have to take the pills, whose price tag is still unknown, to avoid one hospitalization. The arrival of the omikron variant, which is milder, may change that ratio.
The most common side effects of the drug are taste changes, headache, diarrhea and vomiting. The EMA warns that Pfizer’s corona pill cannot be combined with a number of other medicines. The Dutch package leaflet and product information for healthcare providers will follow as soon as possible, the MEB reports.