Pfizer's first anti-Covid pills to become available in Georgia

According to the Deputy Minister of Health, Tamar Gabunia, the government has started working on acquiring Pfizer’s first anti-Covid pills – Paxlovid.

Pfizer Antiviral Paxlovid Pill is the first antiviral tablet authorized for the treatment of Covid. Pfizer pills are intended for patients to take at home before hospitalization becomes necessary.

People at risk and above the age of 12 will be able to take the tablet according to the doctor’s prescription, however, they must weigh at least 39.9 kilograms.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is recommended to take the tablets as soon as possible after Covid-19 and within five days after the onset of symptoms.

The drug was approved by the FDA on December 22.

According to Gabunia, the details of when these pills will be available to the citizens of Georgia will be announced shortly.

“This is very promising news. We have started working on this and in a short time we will have the opportunity to inform the public about the details of when exactly this medicine will be available.

The drug is intended for home use, it does not require special medical supervision. It is a recommendation for the high-risk groups, it is better for people in such groups to use this drug. Clinical trials showed that this drug can significantly reduce the levels of hospitalization and mortality rates”, said Gabunia.

According to her, the medicine will be financed from the state budget and as the vaccine is not available on a commercial basis yet.

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According to Amiran Gamkrelidze, director of the National Center for Disease Control, the drug could not replace the vaccine, so “vaccination would still be needed”.

“The way to end this pandemic is through vaccination of the population. 75% of the entire population should be vaccinated. The drug Paxlovid, which was authorized yesterday, is a very advanced step. This drug consists of two antiviral drugs and studies have shown 90% efficacy in terms of prevention of health complications and mortality. The Ministry of Health has been negotiating with Pfizer for a long time to get this medicine and it will be available in Georgia”, Gamkrelidze said.