Antiviral pills have been a new entrant in the world of providing effective treatment to the covid 19 infected patients.
On Tuesday, the major vaccine developer company in the United States reported that early results of the performance of the antiviral pills are quite encouraging and the pill is highly effective against the coronavirus including the new variant Omicron for the severely hit patients.
Paxlovid Showed Positive Intent To Fight Against The Covid-19 Virus
According to preliminary tests conducted on high-risk adults by Pfizer, the pill when taken shortly after developing symptoms for Covid-19 reduced the combined risk of hospitalization and death by around 89 percent which is almost 40 percent more than the effective rate of Merck’s antiviral pill.
To add to it, preliminary tests conducted show that this pill retains its potency against the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 as well. Paxlovid is a combination of the antiviral drug Ritanovir and Nirmatrelvir. Full test results are to be published for peer review later this month.
Although there are other companies that are working on developing antiviral pills for the covid 19 treatment and The US Food and Drug Administration endorsed Merck’s antiviral pills.
Also, The US FDA is yet to review Pfizer’s pill and has not yet cleared the pill for emergency use. However, it is expected that in a few weeks’ time, the Pfizer Paxlovid will be completely reviewed by the FDA and could be authorized for use. Earlier this month the FDA and CDC allowed the use of Merck Antiviral pills as an emergency use for the severely hit delta variant patients in the US.
These antiviral pills are the first Covid-19 treatments the people can pick up from pharmacies.
Since the test results are encouraging and as per recent news, President Joe Biden indirectly endorsed the use of Paxlovid and his administration has placed an order to buy Paxlovid in order to treat as high as 10 million people in the US. The White House Administration was highly happy with the results showcased by Pfizer and has asked the send of the reports further to the FDA for authorization. Every course of Pfizer’s vaccine has 3 pills to be taken twice a day for a 5-day duration.
However, according to health care officials, vaccines remain the best line of treatment against Covid-19 so far and are the best way of controlling the pandemic. These pills could be good for at-home treatments, especially for vulnerable people and they will help in reducing the hospitalization and death rates in the country.
According to Pfizer these pills could reduce the severity of the illness amongst Covid-19 patients and cut the chances of infection after being exposed to the coronavirus.
As the number of new Covid-19 infections is on the rise yet again, the pills could be a great tool against the Covid-19 virus. The colder weather increased indoor gatherings and the festive season is already leading to increased chances of infection amongst people. According to Dr. Fauci, these pills could be a lifesaver for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
