BAHRAIN has approved the emergency use of the oral Covid-19 antiviral, Paxlovid.
The medication, manufactured by Pfizer, has been authorised for individuals aged 18 and above who suffer from mild to moderate symptoms and are at an increased risk of developing severe Covid-19 that may lead to death.
The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) approved the pill after its pharmaceutical products regulation department evaluated data provided by Pfizer.
The Health Ministry has started importing procedures in accordance with relevant standards and requirements and the medication is expected to arrive this month, the NHRA said in a statement last night.
Paxlovid consists of two, co-packaged antiviral medicine (PF-07321332 and Ritonavir) that are designed to stop the virus from multiplying in the body.
Pfizer has said that the drug showed near 90 per cent efficacy in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk patients, with recent data suggesting the pill was also effective against the Omicron variant.
In a clinical trial involving high-risk adults with Covid, Paxlovid reduced the rate of severe illness by 89pc compared with a placebo group. Just three out of 389 patients were hospitalised or died from Covid-19 after taking the drug within three days of symptoms, compared with 27 out of 385 in the placebo group.
The GDN reported in October that the country has been at the forefront in acquiring all approved medicines for the virus in line with global protocols. Merck pill Molnupiravir and Regn-Cov2, an artificial drug for prophylaxis, were adopted in August. Hydroxychloroquine, one of the earliest drugs to treat Covid-19, was approved in April last year.
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