The Associated Press Pfizer Inc 's COVID-19 pill offers little or no benefit to young people, according to a large study published Wednesday, with findings of 109,000 Israeli patients likely to reignite concerns about Issues with the U.S. government's use of Paxlovid, which is the treatment of choice for COVID-19 due to its at-home treatment properties.
This article is original to the Translational Medicine Network. Please indicate the source when reprinting.
Author: kope
Special medicine for COVID-19?
Paxlovid is also an antiviral therapy packaged in two separate pills: nirmatrelvir, a drug that inhibits replication of the SARS-CoV-2 protein, and ritonavir. ri Tonavir, a drug once used to treat HIV, is a strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 inhibitor. Use of ritonavir at low doses can prolong the action time of nirmatrelvir, that is, enhance the pharmacokinetics of nirmatrelvir. The two are used together to treat COVID-19.
People between the ages of 40 and 65 saw no measurable benefit, based on an analysis of medical records. The findings reflect the changing nature of the pandemic, in which the vast majority of people already have some protection from the virus due to vaccination or previous infection. Especially for young people, this significantly reduces their risk of severe COVID-19 complications.
But it’s worth noting that Pfizer reported earlier this summer that a separate study of Paxlovid in healthy adults, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, showed no clear benefit, but the results It has not yet been published in a medical journal.
FDA authorizes and promotes
According to Pfizer ’s latest financial report, sales of the new coronavirus oral drug Paxlovid in the second quarter of 2022 were US$8.1 billion. Adding in the US$1.5 billion in the first quarter, the drug’s sales in the first half of 2022 reached US$9.6 billion. , more than double the sales of Merck’s new coronavirus oral drug LAGEVRIO (molnupiravir) during the same period (US$4.4 billion).
At the time of the FDA's decision, Paxlovid was considered critical to curb hospitalizations and deaths during the pandemic's second winter surge. More than 3.9 million prescriptions for Paxlovid have been filled since the drug was authorized. The course of treatment is three tablets, twice a day, for five consecutive days. Government officials have been working for months to increase the use of Paxlovid, opening thousands of websites where patients who test positive can fill prescriptions. Last month, U.S. officials further expanded access by allowing pharmacists to prescribe the drug.
Cost pass-through?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Paxlovid late last year for adults and children 12 and older who are considered at high risk for conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. According to the CDC , more than 42% of U.S. adults are considered obese, representing 138 million Americans.
Currently, Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 drug Paxlovid has become the preferred method of treating COVID-19 in the United States. The Biden administration has spent more than $10 billion to purchase the drug and sell it in thousands of pharmacies.
The U.S. government recently stated that it may stop paying for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines as early as this fall, and instead let insurance institutions and the public bear the related costs. Once the policy takes effect, insurance agencies may set new standards for the circumstances under which Paxlovid costs will be reimbursed.
Reference:
https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-seniors-d8f6af66517054aae7fb27d1ecc6df66
Note: This article is intended to introduce the progress of medical research and cannot be used as a reference for treatment plans. If you need health guidance, please go to a regular hospital.
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