Pfizer has begun Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of Paxlovid, an oral treatment for the COVID-19 antiviral, in children 6 to 17 years of age.
The drug is considered by President Biden to be one of the most effective treatments for the virus, and plays an important role in his Covid plan later.
It received an emergency use authorization for Americans 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds, but the initial drug trials did not include the 12 to 17 age group.
The drug has been considered a ‘game changer’ as its estimated effectiveness in preventing Covid hospitalizations and deaths is around 89%.
Pfizer has launched phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid for children ages 6 to 17. The drug has been licensed for all Americans 12 years of age and older (file image) )
The trials will include 140 children between the ages of six and 17, according to a statement from the New York City-based company.
Participants will be divided into two groups based on their weirdness and will receive different doses of the drug depending on their weight.
The pharmaceutical giant also said it plans to start testing the drug for children under the age of 6.
During his State of the Union speech last week, President Joe Biden (pictured) touted Paxlovid’s effectiveness in preventing Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths
Paxlovid has been widely praised by medical experts after it showed an amazing ability to prevent the most severe Covid symptoms in early clinical trials.
A person who has been infected with Covid takes this drug in a dosage of three tablets, taken twice a day for five days.
It has shown a powerful ability to neutralize the virus and prevent it from replicating and spreading infections throughout the body.
The company has been plagued by manufacturing problems in the previous months and the drug’s availability is very limited. Looks like some of the issues have been resolved in recent weeks.
Last week, during a State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden touted the drug’s effectiveness and announced that the United States had doubled its orders.
“If you get COVID-19, the Pfizer pill reduces your chances of being hospitalized by 90%,” Biden said.
‘I have ordered more pills than anyone in the world has. Pfizer is working overtime to get us a million pills this month and more than double next month. ‘
Paxlovid will play a key role in the White House’s ‘Trials for Treatment’ program, which allows any American who tests positive at a pharmacy to quickly access the drug for free.
The drug has delivered another success – and a financial shock – for Pfizer, whose vaccine is also the most commonly used in the US and much of the rest of the developed world.
However, it is facing stiff competition from Merck, a New Jersey-based company, and its Covid antiviral drug molnupiravir.
After initial clinical trials, molnupiravir is expected to become the new gold standard treatment for Covid.
The initial antiviral pill showed it could reduce hospital admissions and deaths from the virus by 50%.
Subsequent trials have shown effectiveness to drop to about 30%, although it remains a cheap and manageable option for treating the virus.
However, some concerns about how molnupiravir works have been raised, including the possibility that it may put its recipients at increased risk of developing cancer given the way it works with RNA and DNA.
Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk
