US, 8 billion dollars for new drugs against Covid-19

by time news

US, $ 8 billion for two new antivirals from Pfizer and Merck

E the United States repeats itself. After the rush to grab, at the beginning of the pandemic, all vaccines possible of Big Pharma Americans have now moved forward by making deals with Pfizer e Merck for millions of treatments of these new drugs. At the moment they have bought 10 million Paxlovid da Pfizer, for 5.3 billion dollars and 3.1 million Lagevrio da Merck for $ 2.2 billion. After the flop of drugs like hydroxychloroquine, supported by Trump and proved to be totally ineffective and del Remdesivir, capable only of reducing hospitalizations by a few days, it seems that the two new drugs are instead very promising, easy to administer and effective.

USA, Pfizer and Merck will sell the patents of the two drugs to 105 poor countries for production

But the new and very significant fact is that Merck e Pfizer will allow the production of the two drugs such as generic in 105 countries lowest income on the planet. The two antiviral drugs come out of the research of the two US giants Pfizer and Merck (MSD outside Canada and the USA). Administered orally they represent an innovation also for the ease of use and above all slow down the course of the disease at the beginning, when it is not yet serious. According to Pfizer the Paxlovid, reduces hospitalizations and deaths by 89%. The treatment is 30 pills to be taken over five days. Ten of these contain ritonavir, an old antiviral once used against HIV. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) began analyzing Pfizer data with the aim of initially giving the go-ahead for emergency use before giving the go-ahead for definitive marketing.

Usa, EMA at work for the emergency ok to the two drugs

The EMA he also provided information on the Molnupiravir (Lagevrio), the other antiviral developed by MSD con Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The treatment is 40 pills to be taken in five days. According to the pharmaceutical company, the drug has halved the number of hospitalizations and deaths. Until now in this sector there was nothing unlike the sector of monoclonal antibodies where, on the contrary, there are several, among them Evusheld di AstraZeneca, which the company guarantees 88% effective and is being evaluated by Ema. Then Ronapreve, developed by Regeneron and Roche, already authorized by the EMA, effective on patients already hospitalized in serious conditions and without their own defenses against the Coronavirus. In total, the EMA has authorized, is evaluating or has informed the Member States of more than a dozen treatments against Coronavirus. In addition to antivirals and monoclonal antibodies, there are immunosuppressants such as dexamethasone or tocilizumab. The battle against the Covid-10 continues.

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