Emergency approval granted: USA rely on Pfizer’s corona pill

In the fight against Covid-19, the US government’s hope rests on the pill Paxlovid, for which the FDA has now granted emergency approval. Hundreds of thousands of packages have already been ordered. However, manufacturer Pfizer is still a long way from mass production.

Pfizer boss Albert Bourla is euphoric: “That changes everything,” he told CNN. The corona tablet Paxlovid developed by the company has received emergency approval in the USA.

That means: thanks to her, hospitals could soon be relieved. And clearly, says chief virologist Anthony Fauci: The tablet could reduce the risk of hospital stays by around 90 percent. That is very good news.

The pill is supposed to prevent the serious course of the disease

Paxlovid slows the virus from multiplying. Anyone who is ill takes the pill at home twice a day, for five days and in combination with another preparation. This cure is intended to avoid becoming seriously ill – and possibly having to go to hospital.

A ray of hope for the overworked doctors. Megan Ranney tells CNN that she is thrilled. She is a doctor in an emergency room: “It will be just great to have this drug available in addition to fighting corona.”

Still far from mass production

But there is a catch, as Anthony Fauci explains. Unfortunately, this drug is made in a rather complicated and complex synthetic process. This process takes six to eight months. So Pfizer is still a long way from mass production.

The US government has already ordered in advance: Around ten million packs for around five billion dollars. One pack corresponds to one treatment. And the first of these could be delivered this year, the White House announced. Around 265,000 packs should then be available in January.

Risk groups should receive medication

But not everyone gets it. Most likely, people who have clear symptoms of the disease will be given the drug – within the first three days of those symptoms, Fauci says. In addition, there are people who are at high risk of developing a serious disease course. In addition, patients must be older than twelve years.

“Not a miracle cure”

But the health experts also emphasize that: The pill remains only one pillar of treatment. Doctor Ranney agrees: The anti-Covid pill is not a miracle cure – and not a substitute for vaccination. On the contrary. It is only used when someone is sick. The tablet is more expensive than vaccination, has been tested on fewer people, and is more complicated to take.

Nevertheless, especially in view of the omicron variant that is spreading in the USA, hopes weigh on the drug. Pfizer now wants to ramp up production. The US wants to help accelerate this.