Corona drug: Lauterbach hopes for Paxlovid approval in January

The federal government has already secured one million units of the corona drug Paxlovid. Health Minister Lauterbach is now hoping for emergency approval this month – at national level.

The federal government wants to use the corona drug Paxlovid for the treatment of severe Covid-19 courses via emergency approval in January. “I am confident that we will have put together the necessary package for this by the end of this month, so that we have received deliveries of the drug and obtained emergency approval,” said Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach of “Welt am Sonntag”.

Accordingly, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is currently preparing national approval for paxlovid. Germany should be able to use the corona drug even before the approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still pending. “The remedy is particularly suitable for the treatment of unvaccinated risk patients. This group is large and particularly at risk,” said the SPD politician Lauterbach.

One million units already secured at Pfizer

The Federal Ministry of Health has already contractually secured one million units of the product from Pfizer and has given an option to deliver a further million units.

Paxlovid is an antiviral that prevents the virus from reproducing. The preparation has not yet been approved in the EU, but the EMA supports the use of paxlovid in emergencies. The US drug agency FDA has already given the corona pill emergency approval for high-risk patients aged twelve and over.