"UK regulators have approved Pfizer’s “life-saving” antiviral drug Paxlovid, which boasts nearly 90% success in preventing severe illness among vulnerable adults if taken soon after becoming infected with Covid-19.
The agency said Paxlovid was most effective when taken during the early stages of a Covid infection, and recommended it was used within five days of a patient’s first symptoms. The approval is for patients aged 18 and over with at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, such as obesity or diabetes, or being over 60.
“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 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.”
Pfizer has said the drug showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk patients, with recent data suggesting the pill was also effective against the Omicron variant.
Before Christmas Pfizer said the UK government had agreed to purchase 2.5m courses of Paxlovid after an earlier purchase of 250,000 doses, conditional on regulatory approval."
Article in the Guardian at 1600 today.
All we need now is a clear route to actually getting it!!!
