- Pfizer’s drug Paxlovid receives emergency approval in the United States.
- The new Covid-19 pill should reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 90 percent, promises the manufacturer, the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
- It is the first time that a pill against corona has been approved in the United States.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday gave the green light to the new anti-Covid drug called Paxlovid. It reduces the ability of the virus to multiply in body cells and can be used in high-risk patients aged 12 and over with mild to moderate symptoms.
With the approval of the first pill against Covid-19, a new tool is available to fight the infection, according to the FDA. Patients with a high risk of a severe course of the disease would henceforth have better access to treatment with an antiviral drug. However, the pill is not a substitute for a vaccination, stressed the authority.
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Paxlovid will “change the way we treat Covid-19,” said Pfizer boss Albert Bourla. The drug will hopefully help to relieve the health system and hospitals.
Reuters
The US government has already ordered ten million packs of the new pill for $ 5.3 billion and has also promised state support to ramp up production quickly. Because availability is still limited. The decision of the US agency was “a testament to the power of science and the result of American innovation and ingenuity,” said Biden.
In the EU, too, the drug authority EMA had generally approved the use of the Covid pill for emergencies last week. The national authorities have the final say.