Sharjah24 – Reuters: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Friday (April 22) the use of Pfizer’s oral antiviral drug, Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir, for COVID-19 patients at highest risk of hospital admission with mild and moderate symptoms.
“This new recommendation is based on our med analyses, which looked at the results of two trials, one which is published called the EPIC-HR study and a total of 3,078 patients, and found an 85 percent reduction in a risk of admission to hospital,” WHO COVID-19 clinical care lead on health care readiness, Janet Diaz, told a news conference on Thursday (April 21).
However, she warned that the drug was not tested on pregnant and breastfeeding women or children under 18. “It does not apply to those populations,” she said.
In addition to the recommendation for the use of Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir, WHO also recommended the use of Remdesivir, another antiviral medicine, following the release of the Pinetree study.
WHO technical officer on access to medicine, Lisa Hedman, raised concerns regarding the lack of transparency in bilateral deals made by producers, which could push low- and middle-income countries at the end of the queue to access the treatment.
“Not all deals are reported in the public domain. And we're aware that there are several large procurers, including two multilateral deals and a couple of countries that could be significant,” she said, adding that “ultimately, those amounts could actually strain supply in the short term.”
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