Why the Authorization of Pfizer's Covid Pill is a Game Changer
FDA Authorized Paxlovid for Emergency use on December 22
The FDA has authorized the Pfizer antiviral oral pill known under the brand name Paxlovid, for high risk patients 12 and up, who tested positive for covid-19. High risk people include those over 65 years of age, unvaccinated and/or have comorbidities such as diabetes or obesity. Paxlovid involves two drugs, nirmatrelvir, developed by Pfizer and ritonavir, a HIV drug repurposed with nirmatrelvir to treat mild to moderate covid-19, not those with severe covid who require hospitalization. The Biden administration has already purchased 10 million courses of Paxlovid last month, enough to treat 10 million people. Paxlovid oral antiviral pill is a game changer for a few reasons:
One, it’s far more effective than any other oral therapeutic that has been proven to effectively treat Covid-19. MAGA people and other conspiracy theorists insist that other therapeutics such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin are highly effective for treating Covid-19 and that the government, big pharma and medical establishment are trying to hide them for money. This simply isn’t true as many randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) in highly reliable medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal, have found Hydroxychloroquine is ineffective at treating covid-19. A meta analysis on ivermectin found similar results. It's also worth noting a RCT of another cheap drug that is available in generic forms, fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression, was recently published, finding to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization. This completely disproves the narrative that big pharma and the medical establishment are hiding effective treatments for Covid-19. Paxlovid is still far more effective, reducing the risk of hospitalization by 89% if taken within three days of symptoms (88% within 5 days), compared to a 32% efficacy of fluvoxamine.
Secord It’s more continental than monoclonal antibody treatment. Monoclonal antibody treatment is a highly effective treatment option for those at risk of hospitalization but requires many infusions that have to be done on an outpatient basis by a medical professional. Paxlovid on the other hand, is taken twice a day for 5 days at the comfort of your own home.
The authorization of Pfizer's antiviral covid-19 pill helps us move out of the pandemic to an endemic, along with highly effective vaccines.