Corona: US drug agency approves anti-corona tablet Paxlovid

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued emergency approval for an anti-corona pill. According to the manufacturer Pfizers, the drug paxlovid is very successful in preventing severe disease in high-risk patients. An interim analysis of test results found that the drug reduced the risk of hospital admissions and deaths in Covid 19 patients by 89 percent. Recent laboratory data would suggest the drug may retain its effectiveness against Omicron, Pfizer said. Possible side effects include impaired taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure, and muscle pain. Corona patients aged twelve and over who have tested positive with paxlovid are treated with mild to moderate symptoms and a high risk of the disease getting worse. The drug is said to be available on prescription in the US but free of charge. The delivery of the drug could start this year, it said. The FDA stated, however, that the now approved drug could not be a substitute for vaccination for the general population. Pfizer competitor Merck is also developing an anti-corona pill. However, initial tests had shown that the drug called molnupiravir is less effective. It reduced the number of hospitalizations and deaths in a clinical trial of high-risk patients by approximately 30%.