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THE UK HAS approved the use of Pfizer’s Covid-19 antiviral after it was found to help prevent the virus from multiplying in at-risk sufferers.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved a potentially “life-saving” treatment called Paxlovid for use among adults who could be vulnerable to Covid-19 due to age, weight or a prior chronic illness.
The regulator found the drug – which can be taken at home – to be safe and effective at reducing the risks of being admitted to hospital and death in people with mild to moderate infection and who are also at an increased risk of developing severe disease.
In a clinical trial in high-risk adults with symptomatic coronavirus infection, it was found to reduce the risk of being admitted to hospital and of death by almost 90%.
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the UK is “one of the first in the world to approve this life-saving antiviral”.
“We are also leading the whole of Europe in the number of antivirals we’ve bought per person – with over 2.75 million courses of this antiviral secured for NHS patients by the Antivirals Taskforce.
“The booster campaign, testing and antiviral defences ensure our country is in the strongest possible position to deal with the threat posed by Omicron as we head into the new year.”
Developed by Pfizer, Paxlovid is an antiviral medicine with a combination of active ingredients, PF-07321332 and ritonavir, that works by inhibiting a protease required for virus replication.
This prevents it from multiplying, keeping virus levels low and helping the body to overcome the viral infection.
The two active substances of Paxlovid come as separate tablets that are packaged together and taken together, twice a day by mouth for five days.
Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said: “Today we have given our regulatory approval for Paxlovid, a Covid-19 treatment found to cut Covid-19 related hospitalisations and deaths by 89% when taken within three days of the start of symptoms.
“We now have a further antiviral medicine for the treatment of Covid-19 that can be taken by mouth rather than administered intravenously.
“This means it can be administered outside a hospital setting, before Covid-19 has progressed to a severe stage.
“I hope the announcement today gives reassurance to those particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, for whom this treatment has been approved. For these individuals, this treatment could be life-saving.”
Based on the clinical trial data, MHRA said it had found Paxlovid is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection.
As such, it recommends its use as soon as possible and within five days of the start of symptoms.
It has been authorised for use in people aged 18 and over who have mild to moderate Covid-19 infection and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness.
Risk factors include obesity, being over 60, diabetes mellitus, or heart disease.
Ben Osborn, country manager at Pfizer UK, said the “at-home therapy, shown in clinical trials to reduce hospitalisations and save lives, has the potential to lessen the devastating impact of a virus that has now taken over five million lives globally”.
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Some good news at last . Well done to all in the UK
@Maurice O Neill:
Great news, maybe we can get on top of this…
@Maurice O Neill:
Cost is $530 per patient(in US) sound expensive but on the grand scheme it could be the game changer…
@Cowboy Ted: already have! https://www.businesspost.ie/coronavirus/government-seeks-to-get-paxlovid-before-other-eu-countries-fcc28154?utm_campaign=article&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=web via @businessposthq
@Maurice O Neill: good man Maurice, you’re everywhere with the pro-UK comments. I suppose you can’t resist admiring a bit of xenophobia and anti-EU sentiment
@Cowboy Ted: a hospital bed for one night costs more
@Liam MacSuibhne: I admire good strong leadership for reasons other than you stated there. Quiet a serious curve ball you threw at me there but I suppose it tells me a lot of what kind of person you are when you resort to that low level of conversation
@Maurice O Neill: borris Johnson is not a strong leader and neither was you mate trump or your other mate arlene foster.
@Liam MacSuibhne: Ha says the guy who is anti British . Pot calling kettle black
@Brian Madden: Does Ireland have a strong leader ?
@Robert Preston: I’ll bet he can bench more than Boris
Waiting for the usual LOUD minority to vent their aggression to this positive step, just as well they weren’t around when the first experimental smallpox vaccine was handed out.
@Charles Coughlan: the only person venting so far is yourself
@Charles Coughlan: didn’t take long
@Charles Coughlan: why do you care about the loud minority?
So a copy with some molecules changed of the drugs already on the market that shall not be named
@John Michalski: Protease inhibitors unite!
@John Michalski: Pfizermectin
@Adam Rekio: if only we had a generic protease inhibitor already on the market ;)
@John Michalski: Surely a slightly changed molecule could have a massive impact
@John Michalski: Comments like that actually show how easily you are led by a handful of quacks. Thanks for letting us know who you are
@Sean Murphy: Good man Sean – whilst you operate in the opposite way round, you have the same effect as a fact check.
Whenever you make a statement, we all instantly know the opposite is true.
Don’t look up.
@Mickety Dee: they do. Thalidomide for example. An isomer of the active ingredient tragically causes all the problems.
Pfizer don’t do pandemics, but if they did, they would be the most profitable pandemics ever!
You have to admire their ability to monetise covid19, they have essentially repackaged an existing mRNA flu vaccine and an existing HIV antiviral pill treatment and seeded the myth that they heroically pulled them out of thin air, starting from the point of the emergence of Covid19, now that’s what I call constructive marketing!
They will make at least €100 Billion for their trouble and through a combination of political lobbying and media funding have established themselves as the Coca-Cola of the pharma industry, but they are not finished yet, the lobbying for endless boosters will continue and also for expanding the use of the new covid pill, to also use it as a covid19 prevention measure.
@David Van-Standen: Are you saying that it wasn’t an experimental vaccine that was rushed out, that it was already tried and tested, and that anti-vaxers don’t have any grounds if they are using those reasons for not taking it?
@Pablo: I’m stating the facts, that Pfizer/BioNtech had already developed it in a collaboration that started in 2017, as a cheaper flu vaccine that hadn’t yet come to market or been approved, so in truth you could call it an experimental vaccine in respect of both Flu and Covid19, as to if it was rushed?
Well the driving force for Pfizer was clearly to corner the market and be seen as the pre-eminent vaccine, so obviously time was an important factor for them, as was the mass vaccination programme, not as part of some mind control, post apocalyptic 5g, masterplan, just the same old maximisation of profit above all else.
Yes very good news well done to the UK
Is olive oil good for ear wax
Great news a targeted immunotherapy for the vulnerable, hopefully we are turning a corner. Would like to see some of the big pharma bringing down costs next year for
The poorer countries so we can have a more holistic approach world wide and curb the emergence of some variants. Happy new year…
Where are the three mules.
Thanks Tom. I googled it earlier and it said e c countries on 16th December countries can start using it
@Michael Graham:
Germany has bought million doses…
@Cowboy Ted: Pfizer plant in Cork will be manufacturing this pill but we prob still take months faffing before the emergency team get around to rolling it out here – boosters were evidently the solution last July when vax waning emerged but we didnt approve til October but hey still positive news fur 2022
Has the E C not already approved it?
have your say