The most recent COVID-19 therapy to make headlines is Paxlovid. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the medication an emergency use authorization (EUA) in December for those 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds and are at high risk for developing a severe illness.
High-risk individuals can take Paxlovid, an oral antiviral medicine, at home to avoid getting sick to the point where they need to be hospitalized. If your coronavirus test results are positive and you are eligible to take the tablets, you can do so at home to reduce your chance of being admitted to the hospital.
The medication created by Pfizer has a number of benefits: Its effectiveness against the Omicron variant is perhaps most consoling, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave it priority over other COVID-19 treatments because it had an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization and death, was more affordable than many other COVID-19 medications (it is provided free of cost while there is a public health emergency), and had an 89% reduction in risk of hospitalization and death.
The fact that Paxlovid, the brand name for the prescription that contains the generic medications Nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, is not the only drug used to treat COVID-19, is important to understand. For example, in December, the FDA gave Balapiravir (Lagevrio), a tablet made by Merck, a EUA, despite certain studies indicating that it only reduces COVID-19-related hospitalization and fatalities by 30%.
Additionally, this medicine is thought to be more practical than alternatives like the intravenous (IV) injection-based Remdesivir, which was given FDA approval in October 2020.
How does it work?
The antiviral medication Paxlovid comprises two distinct drugs. When you take your three pills as directed, two of them will contain Nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a vital enzyme required by the COVID virus to generate functional viral particles. After undergoing Nirmatrelvir treatment, the COVID virus is released from the cells but is unable to infect healthy cells in the body, causing the
infection to end. The second medicine is ritonavir, once used to treat HIV/AIDS but is now used to raise antiviral drug levels.
How frequently do you take Paxil?
For the whole course, which consists of 30 pills total, you take three Paxlovid tablets twice a day for five days. Advantageously, the pills are supplied in a "dose card," a pharmaceutical blister pack that enables you to punch out the required number of drugs.
What is the efficiency of Paxlovid?
Pfizer included information from a clinical trial between mid-July and early December of 2021 when it submitted its application for FDA permission. The results revealed that people who got Paxlovid were 89% less likely to have a severe illness and pass away than trial participants who received a placebo (all of whom were unvaccinated). (While it is advised to start Paxlovid after five days of symptom onset, clinical trial participants did so within three days.)
Can anybody get a prescription for Paxlovid?
The FDA approves Paxlovid for use in patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds. However, you must also have a positive COVID-19 test result and be at a high risk of acquiring severe COVID-19 to be eligible for a prescription.
This implies that you must be 65 years or older (more than 81% of COVID-19 fatalities occur in this group) or have specific underlying illnesses (such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, or others). According to the CDC, a person is more likely to have a severe case of COVID-19 if they have more underlying medical issues.
It is hoped that the limits on who can use Paxlovid will loosen over time. But, unfortunately, the EUA was approved by the FDA in December, precisely as an alarmingly high number of persons contracted Omicron, and the demand for healthcare soared, creating problems with supply.
Since there is no history of taking the medication in these groups, the FDA advises discussing your choices and unique circumstances with your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing. Use effective
barrier contraception if you think you could get pregnant or abstain from sexual activity while taking Paxlovid.
It is essential to know that while doctors can write a prescription, pharmacists can also give you Paxlovid (with some restrictions) if they have chosen to do so. First, however, you must be able to share your electronic or printed medical records, which should include a list of all the medications you currently take, blood test results from the previous 12 months, and your electronic or printed medical records.
Conclusion
Paxilovid is a new medication that has been developed to treat COVID-19. It is a pill that is taken twice a day for five days. The drug is still in the early stages of development, and more research is needed to determine its efficacy. However, it shows promise as a potential treatment option for COVID-19.
