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Antiviral Paxlovid reduces rate of hospitalization and death among high-risk COVID-19 patients
Health Canada has approved Pfizer's COVID-19 therapeutic for use in adults 18 and older, paving the way for the distribution of a potentially lifesaving drug at a time when the country's hospitals are overwhelmed.
Pfizer's Paxlovid, an oral antiviral prescribed by a doctor and administered in pill form, is designed to help the body fight off the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reduce symptoms from an infection and shorten the period of illness.
After months of clinical trials, Pfizer reported in November that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by an impressive 89 per cent compared to a placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19.
The drug company's laboratory studies also indicate the drug is likely to work against the Omicron variant, now the dominant variant among new cases in Canada.
The product has been hailed as a pandemic "game changer" by some doctors because it could reduce hospitalizations and deaths among COVID-19 patients.
Experts say an effective pill that's easy to self-administer at home could relieve some of the pressure on the health care system and change the trajectory of the pandemic. Existing therapeutics approved for use in Canada — products like monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir — must be administered intravenously in a hospital setting.
Source:
Health Canada has approved Pfizer's COVID-19 therapeutic for use in adults 18 and older, paving the way for the distribution of a potentially lifesaving drug at a time when the country's hospitals are overwhelmed.
Pfizer's Paxlovid, an oral antiviral prescribed by a doctor and administered in pill form, is designed to help the body fight off the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reduce symptoms from an infection and shorten the period of illness.
After months of clinical trials, Pfizer reported in November that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by an impressive 89 per cent compared to a placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19.
The drug company's laboratory studies also indicate the drug is likely to work against the Omicron variant, now the dominant variant among new cases in Canada.
The product has been hailed as a pandemic "game changer" by some doctors because it could reduce hospitalizations and deaths among COVID-19 patients.
Experts say an effective pill that's easy to self-administer at home could relieve some of the pressure on the health care system and change the trajectory of the pandemic. Existing therapeutics approved for use in Canada — products like monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir — must be administered intravenously in a hospital setting.
Source: