AN ORAL pill for coronavirus is the latest succcessful weapon in Bahrain’s armoury alongside vaccines to help in the war against Covid-19 and its many variants, research has confirmed.
Covid-19 antiviral Paxlovid Pfizer, which according to its manufacturers is 90 per cent efficient in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk patients, has been put under the spotlight.
National Taskforce for Combating Covid-19 monitoring committee head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani highlighted a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week.
He pointed out that the pills taken over a five-day period were the ‘second best therapeutic solution’ to the viral infection. “The Paxlovid pill randomised, placebo-controlled trial published 89pc efficacy versus Covid-19 hospitalisations or deaths, and a quick reduction of the viral load,” Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani tweeted.
“The active pills had less serious adverse events or discontinuations than those given a placebo.
“A five-day pill pack, with this efficacy and safety, is second after vaccines as the most important medical advance for tackling the pandemic.”
The senior medic added that more information on the drug in Bahrain will be revealed on official channels by the taskforce in the coming days.
Recent data also suggests that Paxlovid is effective against the latest Omicron variant. It consists of two, co-packaged antiviral medicine (PF-07321332 and Ritonavir) that are designed to stop the virus from multiplying in the body.
l The study titled ‘Oral Nirmatrelvir for High-Risk, Non-hospitalised Adults with Covid-19’ involved 2,246 patients who underwent a randomised, controlled trial receiving either Paxlovid or placebo (a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs) every 12 hours for five days.
Of this, 1,120 patients received Paxlovid and 1,126 received a placebo. An interim analysis of patients treated within three days after symptom onset found the incidence of Covid-19–related hospitalisation or death by day 28 was lower in the first group than in the placebo group by 6.32pc.
There were no deaths in the first group compared to seven deaths in the placebo group.
The incidence of adverse events that emerged during the treatment period was similar in the two groups.
Bahrain approved the pill manufactured by Pfizer for emergency use last month, 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 GDN reported late last month the Health Ministry has started importing procedures in accordance with relevant standards and requirements and the medication was expected to arrive this month.
Bahrain has been at the forefront in acquiring all approved medicines for the virus in line with global protocols.
Sotrovimab – developed by UK’s GlaxoSmithKline and US firm Vir Biotechnology – was adopted in June, while Merck pill Molnupiravir and Regn-Cov2, an artificial drug for prophylaxis, were approved in August. Hydroxychloroquine, one of the earliest drugs to treat Covid-19, was approved in April last year.
Meanwhile, Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani highlighted yet another study which reflected immunity levels based on vaccines and infection. According to the South African study published on MedRxiv, an online archive of preprints, vaccinated individuals infected with Ocimcron are likely to resist infection in general. It revealed three possible combinations and its outcomes, which Dr Al Qahtani explained.
“If you are unvaccinated and infected with the Omicron variant, you are immune to recurrence of infection with the same mutant only (Omicron),” he said on Twitter.
“If you are vaccinated and infected with the Omicron mutant, you have probably acquired comprehensive immunity against recurrence of infection with any variant.
“Vaccinated and infected (with any variant), provides comprehensive immunity against (that particular) mutant.”
The study used 20 unvaccinated and seven vaccinated individuals infected during the Omicron wave in South Africa. “Results showed implications for the vulnerability of unvaccinated Omicron-infected individuals to reinfection by circulating and emerging variants of concerns,” it said.
“Further, while Omicron-based immunogens may be adequate boosters, they are unlikely to be superior to existing vaccines,” it added.
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