The drug Paxlovid has been available for healthcare to order since Thursday, the National Board of Health and Welfare tells TT.
Magnus Gisslén, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Gothenburg and chief physician at the infection clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, says that the medicine has been ordered and is on its way to the infection clinics.
– We are just about to start using it. It will probably come any day, he says.
Effective against varieties
It was in January that Paxlovid got the thumbs up from the European Medicines Agency EMA. The drug consists of two tablets with the substances nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, which in studies have been shown to reduce the risk of being hospitalized for patients at increased risk of developing severe symptoms of covid-19.
In April, the World Health Organization (WHO) strengthened its recommendations on who should receive treatment. But it would be a while before the drug reached Sweden, as the EU’s joint negotiations with the manufacturer Pfizer were sluggish.
Then there was no rush either, as the covid situation was calm. But now the incidence of infection is increasing again in Sweden, and Magnus Gisslén says that he is happy about the new drug.
– We have a fairly high spread of infection in Sweden and the omicron variant BA.5. dominates. The advantage of Paxlovid is that it has an effect against all different variants, he says.
No wide use
At the same time, few people become seriously ill with covid as a result of the high vaccination coverage, but according to Gisslén, there are still many in the country who risk serious illness. For them, Paxlovid is a good alternative, he says.
The drug will be used in the same way throughout the country.
– It is not widely used for people who do not risk becoming seriously ill. It is above all people who have a weak immune system and therefore do not respond to vaccination who should receive Paxlovid.
In addition, you must act quickly for the preparation to have any effect. The drug should be taken within five days of the first symptoms.
– What Paxlovid does is that it inhibits the virus from continuing to multiply. The proliferation is greatest when you get the first symptoms and the days after. That is why it is so important that you come in quickly for treatment, says Gisslén.
Can be taken at home
The advantage of Paxlovid is that it is given in tablet form and can be taken at home. This is a great advantage for both the patient and the healthcare system, says Gisslén.
– We have previously given another antiviral drug, remdesivir. The problem is that it is given as a drip. This means that patients must come to the hospital three days in a row.
According to Gisslén, Paxlovid can involve risks if you take it together with certain other drugs, but the health service controls that matter.
In the past, people talked about the drug as something that could be bought by anyone to quickly recover from corona.
– But that will probably never be the case. Partly because of the risk of interaction, but you also do not gain anything from taking it if you do not risk becoming seriously ill.