Covid drug: Thousands of doses of Paxlovid available as of March

Spread the love

Read Time:1 Minute, 8 Second

Ministry of Health concluded a contract with Pfizer’s first treatment cycles available from mid-March.

A treatment option has recently become available with the development of drugs to mitigate the progression of the severe covid disease. However, it is not a substitute or alternative for vaccination, warns the Ministry of Health.

In March, Austria will receive tens of thousands of Covid 19 drug paxlovid. A corresponding contract with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer was signed on Friday, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday. Further tranche deliveries are planned throughout 2022, it said. The first treatment cycle of the combination drug, consisting of two different tablets, would be available in mid-March.

Inhibit viral replication
Paxlovid inhibits the multiplication of the coronavirus in the body’s cells, the ministry explained in a release. For this, the therapy must be started as soon as possible after confirmed infection, but in any case, within five days after the onset of symptoms. The duration of treatment is five days. Paxlovid is approved for treatment in adults at increased risk for severe covid 19. According to the pivotal study, it reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 88 percent in these patients.

Specially trained physicians – and, depending on the state, physicians in private practice – decide whether treatment is necessary in a specific case and with which product.