SEOUL, Dec. 27 (BNA): South Korea’s Drug Safety Agency on Monday approved an emergency clearance for US oral drug giant Pfizer to treat COVID-19, making it the first contraceptive pill to be used in the country.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Baxlovid is an antiviral pill for treating mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients at increased risk of hospitalization or death.
The ministry set up a panel of experts from home and abroad to review the safety and effectiveness of Baxlovid, concluding that the oral contraceptive pill is necessary to deal with a public health crisis.
The drug is a protease-inhibiting antiviral treatment specifically designed to be taken orally so that it can be prescribed at the first sign of infection or upon first perception of exposure.
The ministry said that the results of the trial showed that the drug Baxolvid reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in patients at risk of developing serious diseases by 88 percent.
Side effects, including impaired sense of taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure and muscle pain, have been reported, but most have no significant safety impact.
The pill will be prescribed for use in adults and children 12 years of age and older who are at high risk of progression to severe cases.
Baxlovid should be started as soon as possible after a diagnosis of COVID-19 within five days, and will be prescribed twice daily for five days.
The ministry expects Paxlovid to be effective against the omicron variant.
Later in the day, health authorities said they had signed a pre-purchase contract with Pfizer to purchase Paxlovid for 362,000 patients, which will be approved as early as mid-January.
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization approval for Paxlovid.
Currently, Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences Inc. , to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients in South Korea.
Also, Rekirona, developed by South Korean drug giant Celltrion, is being used in a COVID-19 patient to reduce the risk of progression to severe cases.
Remdesivir and Rekirona both take the form of an infusion into a vein.
MI