The Food and Drug Administration have approved a new COVID-19 treatment from Pfizer making it the first pill to treat the virus to hit the market.
The Paxlovid pill is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against the virus, with studies showing that it reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk patients by 89 percent.
However, the treatment is expected to be in short supply at first, prompting calls for the Biden administration to do more to increase supply.
Paxlovid’s pill form, as opposed to previous injection-based treatments, should make it more accessible and easier to take. It has also shown promising results in trials in reducing the virus’s worst effects, putting the country on the road to COVID-19 defanging.
However, experts warn that supply will be limited in the short term, and they have urged the Biden administration to take steps such as enlisting the help of other manufacturers.
According to the company, approximately 180,000 courses will be available this year. That is insufficient, given that there are over 100,000 cases of COVID-19 every day in the United States alone.
The treatment is supposed to begin within five days of the onset of symptoms, which could be difficult. Ample testing will be required to ensure that people are aware that they have COVID-19 and that they can obtain results in time to seek treatment.
According to reports, Pfizer expects to have 120 million courses available next year, with about 30 million of those available by the start of the year.
Experts praised the company for entering into an agreement with the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool to share the treatment with 95 low-income countries.
However, there is concern that production for lower-income countries could take months to begin, and some advocates are warning of a disparity in vaccine production between wealthy and poor countries.
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