UK regulator has approved a second oral antiviral for early treatment of Covid-19 in high-risk adults, after molnupiravir.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave its nod for a new treatment called Paxlovid (PF-07321332 and ritonavir), after finding it safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in people diagnosed with mild Covid-19 infection.
Developed by Pfizer, Paxlovid prevents the multiplying of virus, helping the body to overcome the infection.
A clinical trial for the treatment in high risk individuals revealed that a five-days course of Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalisation and death by 89 per cent.
It further revealed that Paxlovid is most effective when taken in the early stage of infection.
Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said: "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."
Global demand for Pfizer's oral Covid-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid has been unexpectedly low due to complicated eligibility requirements, reduced testing, and potential for drug interactions, according to a media report.
Demand also has been hampered by the perception that Omicron infections are not that severe.
Paxlovid was expected to be a major tool in the fight against Covid after it reduced hospitalizations or deaths in high-risk patients by around 90 per cent in a clinical trial.
Thousands of people still die from Covid-19 every week, even as global infections are far off their peak. And there are only a few proven antiviral treatments, of which Paxlovid is the most attractive. The others are Merck & Co's far less effective rival pill molnupiravir, and Gilead Sciences' intravenous remdesivir.
Pfizer's oral Covid-19 therapy will be evaluated as a potential treatment for patients hospitalised with the illness in a major British trial, scientists said on Monday, as cases rise in some parts of the world.
The world's largest randomised study of potential medicines for Covid-19, dubbed the RECOVERY trial, will assess Paxlovid across hospitals in Britain, which has already approved the drug for early-stage treatment.
"Paxlovid is a promising oral antiviral drug but we don't know if it can improve survival of patients with severe Covid-19," said Peter Horby, a professor at the University of Oxford and joint chief investigator of the RECOVERY trial.
The scientists said they aim to mainly find whether Pfizer's Paxlovid reduces the risk of death among patients admitted to hospitals with Covid-19.
More than 1.5 million courses of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid have expired unused in European countries by the end of November, the health
analytics firm Airfinty has revealed.
It is predicted that the figure could surge to 3.1 million, at a value of $2.2 billion (around £1.73 billion), by the end of Feb 2024.
According to Airfinty analysis, Britain has the highest unused stock, with an estimated one million expired drug courses worth $700 million (over £550 million).
With 2.2 million courses estimated to expire unused by the end of June 2024 due to the low prescription of the antiviral in the country, the total drug value
wasted in the UK could reach $1.5 billion (£1.1 billion), the report added.
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It is new technology developed by Pfizer. Pfizer is the pharmaceutical company that gave us the COVID vaccines that do not provide lifetime immunity to COVID or
even prevent you from getting it in the short term. Pfizer is also the company that created the COVID medicine Paxlovid, which cause Biden to get a rebound COVID
right after he supposedly recovered from COVID.
Ingestible Pills are a version of a digital pill
A digital pill is also known as a smart pill or an ingestible sensor. It is a pharmaceutical dosage form that contains an ingestible sensor inside of a pill. The
sensor begins transmitting medical data after it is consumed.
This pill and its other related technology are considered Digital Medicine. The purpose of the sensor is to determine if a person is taking their medicine or they
are not taking their medicine. In other words, is the patient complying with taking their medicine or are they not complying with taking their medicine?
With growing concerns over the spread of Omicron variant, the UK has signed two contracts with drug majors Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co to buy 4.25 million courses of antivirals for the NHS patients.
The move is aimed at reducing hospitalisations and easing pressures on the NHS.
The two new contracts are for 1.75 million additional courses of Merck Sharp and Dohme's (MSD) molnupiravir (Lagevrio®) and 2.5 million additional courses of PF-07321332/ritonavir (Paxlovid™) from Pfizer.
The ordered drugs will be available from early next year and both are expected to be effective against Omicron.
The recent order is in addition to the 480,000 courses of molnupiravir and 250,000 courses of PF-07321332/ritonavir procurement announced in October.