The High Authority for Health (HAS) authorized, on Friday January 21, the use of the Paxlovid antiviral from the Pfizer laboratory as a curative treatment against Covid 19. Paxlovid is the first anti-Covid antiviral to obtain an access authorization early.
Following the opinion of the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), HAS “authorizes early access to the Paxlovid treatment (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) from the Pfizer laboratory for adults with Covid-19 who do not require oxygen therapy and are at high risk of progressing to a severe form of the disease”. It is therefore a treatment primarily intended for populations at risk (elderly, immunocompromised, etc.).
On prescription by general practitioners
This pill is taken orally as three tablets per day for five days. It is recommended to take it as soon as possible after the positive diagnosis for Covid-19 and at most within five days of the onset of symptoms. Effective against the Omicron variant, this treatment reduces the risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19 by around 85%, according to clinical studies.
The HAS notes, however, that the antiviral is contraindicated in people with severe hepatic insufficiency or severe renal insufficiency. It also points to the significant risk of drug interactions when taking Paxlovid for patients taking another treatment.
“We have reserved 500,000 doses in 2022 and the first deliveries – a few thousand doses – are expected within a week”, announced Thursday the entourage of the Minister of Health Olivier Véran to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Its deployment will be done in particular via a prescription by general practitioners, in all pharmacies.