By Chris King • Published: 23 Dec 2021 • 4:31
FDA authorises emergency use of Pfizer's new Covid pill. image: twitter
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on Wednesday, December 22, authorised the emergency use Pfizer’s new Covid-19 pill, PAXLOVID, The pharmaceutical giant has developed this first oral treatment against the coronavirus.
In an official statement, the FDA, announced its decision, specifying that the pill can be used to treat moderate cases of Covid in adults, and children under 12 years of age, who weigh at least 40 kilograms.
After MSD, it is the second antiviral pill to show great effectiveness in fighting the virus. According to Pfizer, this treatment, in recent tests, reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death by 89 per cent, compared to 50 per cent for its competitor.
PAXLOVID is part of a class of drugs called protease inhibitors, and is designed to prevent the virus from making copies of itself and invading the infected. Protease inhibitors are currently used to treat other viral pathogens such as HIV, and hepatitis C.
If approved or licenced, it could be more widely prescribed as a home treatment to help reduce the severity of illness, hospitalisations, and deaths. Its use could also reduce the likelihood of infection after exposure, among adults, as reported by larazon.es.
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
Who trusts a company that prescribed Thalidomide for 4 years to pregnant women and got the biggest criminal fine of 2,3 billion for forgery of papers and bribing doctors and now people trust them with three shots and this new pill??? Not me!
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