Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

EU regulator recommends Pfizer's COVID pill be authorized

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Jan, 2022 11:36 AM
  • EU regulator recommends Pfizer's COVID pill be authorized

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The European Medicines Agency has recommended that Pfizer's coronavirus antiviral drug be authorized for use in the 27-nation European Union, the first time the agency has recommended a pill for treating COVID-19.

In a statement on Thursday, the EU drug regulator said giving the green light to Pfizer's Paxlovoid could help people infected with COVID-19 avoid more serious disease and being hospitalized. EMA's expert committee recommended the pill be given to adults who don't require oxygen and who are at higher risk of severe disease.

The drug was cleared by regulators in the U.S. and Britain in late December, although authorities noted that supplies would be extremely limited.

An antiviral pill from Merck also is expected to soon be authorized. But Pfizer’s drug is all but certain to be the preferred option because of its mild side effects and superior effectiveness as suggested by studies, including a nearly 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severely ill.

The pills from both Pfizer and Merck are expected to be effective against omicron because they do not target the spike protein where most of the variant’s worrisome mutations reside.

Pfizer currently has 180,000 treatment courses available worldwide, with roughly 60,000 to 70,000 allocated to the U.S. The company said it expects to have 250,000 available in the U.S. by the end of January.

The European Medicines Agency said its decision was made based on a review of the drug's use in people who were mostly infected with the delta variant of COVID-19, but they believed it would also be helpful in curbing the current surge caused by the ultra-contagious omicron variant.

“Based on laboratory studies, Paxlovid is also expected to be active against omicron and other variants,” the regulator said. It said the drug's safety profile was “favorable” and that side effects were generally mild.

Peter Liese, the European Parliament's spokesperson for health, called the decision a “real ray of hope” for a return to normality after the pandemic. But he cautioned that there were no guarantees from the European Commission or member countries that the drug would delivered quickly.

In a statement, Liese said he had recently sent Pfizer's CEO “an urgent appeal” following EU negotiations to obtain the drug.

MORE National ARTICLES

405 COVID19 cases for Friday

405 COVID19 cases for Friday
There are currently 3,071 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 214,047 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 276 individuals are currently in hospital and 95 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

405 COVID19 cases for Friday

Feds delay new climate plan three months

Feds delay new climate plan three months
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the new federal climate plan won't be ready until the end of March. The net-zero accountability law passed in June requires the government to make public a greenhouse-gas emissions reduction plan for 2030 within six months.

Feds delay new climate plan three months

Disaster expert shares tips for flood recovery

Disaster expert shares tips for flood recovery
Caroline McDonald-Harker, a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Mount Royal University in Calgary, has studied the impacts of extensive flooding in southern Alberta in 2013 and the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.    

Disaster expert shares tips for flood recovery

StatCan: Economy added 154K jobs in November

StatCan: Economy added 154K jobs in November
Statistics Canada says the economy added 154,000 jobs in November as the labour market showed more signs it's returning to pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate fell to 6.0 per cent last month compared with 6.7 per cent in October.

StatCan: Economy added 154K jobs in November

NACI strongly advises boosters for those over 50

NACI strongly advises boosters for those over 50
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has expanded its recommended eligibility for booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in response to reports of waning protection against the virus. NACI now strongly recommends boosters for those over 50 and said all adults over the age of 18 may receive one as well. 

NACI strongly advises boosters for those over 50

Loblaw Financial wins court battle in tax case

Loblaw Financial wins court battle in tax case
In a 7-0 ruling today, the top court says Canadian provisions at issue in the case did not apply to the company, Glenhuron Bank Ltd., meaning tax on its income was not payable in Canada.

Loblaw Financial wins court battle in tax case