Government advisers say it is not feasible for state to use Pfizer’s Covid-19 pill
The national essential medicines list committee on Covid-19 therapeutics says Pfizer’s Paxlovid trial only included unvaccinated people, and there are practical issues to consider
The health department’s advisers on Covid-19 treatments have recommended against using Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill, saying it is not feasible to provide it to state patients because it must be administered soon after symptoms begin. SA does not currently allow self-testing for Covid-19, and so patients have to get tested at clinics, hospitals or private testing sites, delaying diagnosis.
Paxlovid, which has yet to be registered in SA, has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk patients with mild to moderate Covid-19. It has been granted emergency-use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration, and conditional marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency, which recommends it is used within five days of symptom onset. Patients require a five day course, which costs about $530 in the US...
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