US government to test Pfizer's Paxlovid for long COVID | Inquirer News

US government to test Pfizer’s Paxlovid for long COVID

/ 06:12 AM October 28, 2022

The US-government-backed Recover study of long COVID will examine Pfizer Inc's antiviral drug Paxlovid

FILE PHOTO: Paxlovid, Pfizer’s anti-viral medication to treat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is displayed in this picture illustration taken in Medford, Massachusetts, U.S., on May 12, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/Illustration/File Photo

CHICAGO — The United States-government-backed Recover study of long COVID will examine Pfizer Inc’s antiviral drug Paxlovid in a clinical trial of 1,700 patients, organizers said Thursday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in July it had authorized state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 pill to eligible patients to help improve access to the treatment.

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The antiviral drug, Paxlovid, had been cleared for use and available for free in the United States since December, but fewer than half of the nearly 4 million courses distributed to pharmacies by the government so far have been administered.

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Use of the pill, authorized to treat newly infected, at-risk people to prevent severe illness, has, however, jumped as infections rise.

“Since Paxlovid must be taken within five days after symptoms begin, authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients,” Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, had said in a statement.

The agency said patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, should bring their health records for the pharmacists to review for kidney and liver problems.

The American Medical Association had said in a statement prescribing decisions should be made by a doctor wherever possible.

The FDA also had said pharmacists should refer the patients to a healthcare professional licensed to prescribe drugs if there is not sufficient information to assess kidney or liver function, or if modifications are needed due to a potential drug reaction.

Patients with reduced kidney function may need a lower dose of the treatment, it added.

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