The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the use of Paxlovid to treat the symptoms of covid-19. It is the first medicine against covid that is administered orally that has been approved in the European Union (EU), as announced by the agency itself in a release.
The treatment consists of three pills that contain different active substances to reduce the capacity of the virus and prolong the effects of the medication. These pills must be taken for five days. Paxlovid is developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, whose vaccine has been widely used in EU countries.
In Europe, the antiviral can be used in adults who are already infected and who are at risk of developing severe symptoms (because they already have another disease or because they have a weakened immune system, as is the case with people undergoing chemotherapy treatment), but they do not require oxygen.
The EMA is the European Union agency dedicated to health issues. In this sense, its authorization does not imply that the member countries of the EU are obliged to use this drug, but it does represent an important medical and scientific endorsement for governments to opt for this treatment.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already approved the use of Paxlovid in December of last year: not only in the case of adults, but also in children and adolescents over 12 years of age.
The new omicron variant, which appeared in South Africa in November and quickly spread across all continents, has once again put governments around the world on the ropes. In the United States it already accounts for 70% of cases of contagion. Given this scenario, governments see this new treatment as an opportunity to try to stop the wave of infections and reduce hospital pressure.
70% of cases in the United States are infected with the omicron variant.
Pros and cons of the new treatment
The use of an oral treatment can represent a great advance in the fight against the pandemic. For those at risk of developing severe symptoms of covid, it is much easier and safer to take the pills at home than to be admitted to the hospital to treat symptoms.
On the other hand, if we compare it with the covid vaccines, it is easier to take some pills than to get an injection, a process that must be supervised by medical personnel. Paxlovid treatment can be purchased at any pharmacy, while the vaccine must be stored under specific temperature conditions. This would also make it easier to distribute treatment to countries with fewer resources and health facilities.
In addition, the Paxlovid studies presented by Pfizer announced an effectiveness of 89% in reducing hospitalizations and deaths in the most vulnerable patients, if the pills were taken during the first three days with symptoms.
A scientist experiments with Paxlovid in a Pfizer laboratory to test its effectiveness.
However, there are also disadvantages to this treatment. Paxlovid supplies are limited as the antivirals are complex to manufacture and costly to mass produce. Until the end of this year, Pfizer will not be able to meet global demand: expect to manufacture up to 120 million doses in 2022.
Added to the difficulty in producing Paxlovid is the great capacity for propagation of the omicron variant, which further complicates the infection situation. In addition, for the treatment to be more effective, it is important to start administering it during the first days of contagion, but not all people have access to an antigen test or show symptoms at the beginning of the viral process.
vaccination in the world
The appearance of new treatments such as Paxlovid are great news in the fight against covid-19. The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, signaled last week that this year could end the acute phase of the pandemic.
This does not mean that the pandemic is over, as cases continue to rise and thousands of people die every day. I agree with you official data, there are more than 360 million confirmed cases worldwide. For this reason, the WHO recommends continuing to apply restrictions and remain vigilant to combat the appearance of new variants.
One of the keys to ending the pandemic is to ensure that vaccination reaches all regions, especially countries with fewer resources. According data According to Our World in Data, 60% of the world’s population has received at least one dose, but this figure is considerably lower in low-income countries, where only 10% of the population has been vaccinated with one dose.
In the countries in lighter tones, the percentage of vaccination is very low. These coincide with the regions with fewer resources.
Vaccinating the population of developing countries not only saves lives, but also prevents the appearance of new variants that prolong the pandemic. The goal of the World Health Organization is that 70% of the world’s population is vaccinated by mid-2022.
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