Covid-19 pill won’t replace vaccine - Sahpra
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) says the antiviral Covid-19 pill Paxlovid won’t serve as a replacement for vaccines.
On Tuesday, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it would enter a deal to lower the price of the antiviral Covid-19 pill for poorer countries.
Sahpra chairperson Professor Helen Rees says clinical trials have proven the effectiveness of the antiviral drugs in reducing severe disease.
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"These are different and not like the vaccine which you use to prevent infection developing. These are complementary and the more we have of those preventive measures, the more we will be able to get onto top of Covid-19 in its entirety. It's important that people understand that this is not a replacement."
AFP is reporting that Pfizer will sub-license production the Paxlovid pill to generic drug manufacturers for supply in 95 low- and middle-income nations.
This will cover 53% of the world's population.
