Today-Feb 3
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has granted interim authorization on Monday (Jan 31) for Paxlovid, a drug by biopharmaceutical firm Pfizer, to be used to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults. This is the first oral medicine approved in Singapore for the treatment of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, HSA said in a release on Thursday. It will be prescribed to and prioritized for patients at higher risk of severe Covid-19, as directed by the Ministry of Health. Previously, HSA authorized the use of other treatments for Covid-19 including Casirivimab and Imdevimab by Roche-Regeneron and Sotrovimab by GlaxoSmithKline, which are administered intravenously. Paxlovid should be taken orally twice daily for five days and the treatment should be initiated as soon as possible after a diagnosis has been made, within five days of the onset of Covid-19 symptoms, HSA said. It added that based on available clinical data from an ongoing study, the medication was found to reduce the risk of Covid-19-related hospitalization or death by 88.9 per cent when treatment was given within three days of the onset of symptoms, and by 87.8 per cent when given within five days of the onset of symptoms. It is also reported to be effective against the Delta and Omicron virus strains. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/hsa-greenlights-pfizers-paxlovid-first-oral-tablet-approved-spore-treating-adult-covid-19-patients-1808621
