In addition to vaccine research, the development of corona drugs is also progressing. Pfizer CEO Bourla sees this as a key hope.
New York – In the course of the omicron wave*, the forecasts about a possible end of the pandemic are rolling over again. Virologist Christian Drosten recently made people sit up and take notice with his assessment. Now another player has positioned himself: Albert Bourla, CEO of the vaccine manufacturer* Pfizer.
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, Bourla was optimistic that the Corona crisis could end in 2022: “We will soon have our normal life back,” he said.
Corona: Pfizer CEO sees spring as a turning point in the pandemic
“We’re in a good position to be there this spring,” said Bourla. He justified his prognosis with the drug Paxlovid, which Pfizer has brought onto the market. This is an anti-corona pill. According to the manufacturer, the drug should reduce the risk of death by around 90 percent in the three days after the onset of corona symptoms. Bourla recently commented on a possible omicron vaccine.
Paxlovid has not yet been approved in the European Union. The US drug authority had already approved the anti-corona pill shortly before Christmas.* A procedure by the European Medicines Agency EMA is to start soon. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach* announced this step at the end of 2021: “The drug is extremely promising because it can significantly weaken the severe course of Covid-19 when given early. I expect that we will be able to prevent numerous severe courses in the intensive care units.” The German press agency also quoted Lauterbach as saying: “So that Paxlovid can be used immediately upon delivery, I have worked with the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices to do this Procedure initiated for emergency approval in Germany.” The federal government has already bought one million packs of Paxlovid.
Corona drug Paxlovid: These are side effects
According to the manufacturer Pfizer, the anti-corona pills are very successful in preventing serious illnesses in high-risk patients. According to Pfizer, an interim analysis of test results found that the drug reduced the risk of hospitalizations and deaths in Covid 19 patients by 89 percent. Possible side effects include an impaired sense of taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure and muscle pain.
Drugs like Paxlovid are considered by experts to be a key tool in the fight against coronavirus. However, compared to preventive corona vaccinations, they are significantly more expensive and often more complicated to use. Before they were approved, they were tested on fewer people than the vaccines – billions of which have also been administered worldwide for months and continue to be monitored in parallel. The FDA had also stated that the drug was not a substitute for vaccination for the general public. (tu) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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