The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), authorized this Friday the paxlovid treatment of the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer for emergency use in the country.
The medicine that combines nirmatrelvir and ritonavir in tablet presentation, will be used to treat adult patients with mild or moderate Covid-19 and at risk of complications, the agency specified in a statement.
Cofepris explained that the authorization for its emergency use must be issued in a controlled manner and requires a medical prescription, considering the use and risk factors detailed in the authorization letter to avoid misuse of this medicine, self-medication and its irregular sale.
The Mexican health regulator called for, in case of identifying its free sale to the public, to make a health complaint through the page gob.mx/cofepris, since its irregular consumption constitutes a health risk due to its dubious origin.
The two components of paxlovid work together to reduce the rate of hospitalization and mortality due to Covid-19.
Nirmatrelvir inhibits a protein in the SARS-CoV-2, preventing the virus from replicating; while ritonavir slows the breakdown of the drug to help it stay in the body longer.
The owner of Cofepris, Alexander Svarch Perez, explained that this second approval of an oral drug in the country represents a new tool in the strategy to combat Covid-19, which, together with vaccination and protection measures, create a triangle to close the path to the pandemic .
“These treatments will be key to reducing hospitalizations in Mexico, which is why we celebrate being the first country in Latin America to authorize their emergency use,” said Svarch Pérez.
Paxlovid has already been authorized by regulatory agencies in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain and South Korea, among others; while in countries like Japan and Canada it is in the process of being analyzed.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx