Paxlovid is a new drug against Covid-19. The drug has already been approved in the USA. In Germany, things should now also go very quickly.
Berlin – Paxlovid is considered a new miracle pill in the fight against Covid-19. The antiviral drug from the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer has already been approved in the USA for high-risk patients aged twelve and over, including in Great Britain. Paxolvoid lowers the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk patients by almost 90 percent, according to Pfizer. The Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has high hopes for the drug.
Paxlovid in the fight against the corona pandemic: “The drug is extremely promising”
“The drug is extremely promising because it can significantly weaken the severe course of Covid when given early. I expect that we will be able to prevent numerous severe courses in the intensive care units, ”said Lauterbach in a statement at the end of January. Germany has already bought a million packs of the corona drug Paxlovid from Pfizer and secured another shipment. Lauterbach announced the emergency approval at that time. The pressure increases with the Omikron variant.
Corona drug Paxlovid: Lauterbach already names the date for emergency approval
The federal government wants to get approval for the corona drug Paxlovid from the US company Pfizer in January. “I am confident that we will have put together the necessary package by the end of this month, so that we have received deliveries of the drug and obtained emergency approval,” said Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) World on sunday.
Accordingly, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is currently preparing national approval for paxlovid. Germany should be able to use the corona drug even before the approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still pending.
“The product is particularly suitable for the treatment of unvaccinated risk patients. This group is large and particularly at risk, ”said Lauterbach. A well-known virologist describes how the new drug works against the virus.
This is how Paxlovid works against Covid-19
Paxlovid is an antiviral that prevents the virus from reproducing. According to the manufacturer, patients take three tablets twice a day for five days. A treatment cycle therefore comprises 30 tablets. Paxlovid consists, among other things, of the active ingredient Nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a Sars-CoV-2 protein. This is to stop the virus from multiplying.
Side effects of paxlovid
Possible side effects include impaired taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure, and muscle pain. The EU Medicines Agency had also announced that Paxlovid should not be taken by patients with severe kidney or liver dysfunction and, because of interactions, not even in combination with certain other medicinal products. The drug is not recommended for pregnant women.
Paxlovid: Government buys one million packs of the anti-Covid drug
The preparation has not yet been approved in the EU, but the EMA supports the use of paxlovid in emergencies. The US drug agency FDA has already given the corona pill emergency approval for high-risk patients aged twelve and over. (ml with material from the dpa)
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