The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the prescription of the drug Paxlovid, made up of the drugs nirmatrelvir and ritonavir for “eligible” covid patients and with certain limitations to guarantee adequate evaluation, reported the FDA.
Patricia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA, recognized “the important role that pharmaceutical laboratories have played in combating the pandemic” and considered that this authorization “will make it possible to speed up access to the drug for those who need it.”
Paxlovid must be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms, authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients who are eligible to receive this drug for the treatment of COVID-19″, added the FDA on its official page.
It indicated that Paxlovid is authorized for “the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kilograms or about 88 pounds) with positive direct viral test results for SARS. -CoV-2, who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.”
The medicine, from the Pfizer laboratory, is an oral antiviral that has shown up to 88% efficacy in reducing the risk of hospitalization for Covid-19 in high-risk patients.
