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in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
April 27, 2022
This Monday, the High Authority for Health issued an opinion aimed at facilitating the prescription of Paxlovid. The anti-Covid pill will now be reimbursed, under certain conditions.
After authorizing early access to Paxlovid – an anti-Covid treatment created by the American laboratory Pfizer – on January 22 – the High Authority for Health has now authorized its reimbursement.
Only patients at risk of serious complications are concerned
Since the beginning of the year, the antiviral treatment Paxlovid – a molecule called nirmatrelvir – has been used by doctors to drastically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people with coronavirus.
Only the “adults with Covid-19 not requiring oxygen therapy and at high risk of progression to a severe form of the disease” were, however, entitled to benefit from it.
Since Monday, things have changed. By issuing this new opinion, the High Authority for Health wishes to facilitate the prescription of the drug:
“Registration for reimbursement of this treatment should facilitate the prescription of Paxlovid® in community medicine and therefore its access for patients”can we read in the press release.
Nevertheless, once again, only patients at risk of serious complications and who do not need to be placed on oxygen are concerned. These are the most fragile: patients over 65, those over 12 with an underlying condition (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.), and those who are overweight.
“It’s not a miracle pill; it is reserved for certain special cases. Rushing to your doctor to get it would therefore be useless”recalls Dr. Kierzek.
The rate of people eligible for Paxlovid is “estimated at a maximum of 20% of the number of new cases”underlines the HAS.
Easy to administer, the drug – presented in tablet form – should be taken twice a day for five days, upon diagnosis and within five days of the onset of symptoms.
According to the Pfizer laboratory, which carried out the first clinical trials on 1,200 adults, the antiviral was found to be 89% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
Consult a GP online
Paxlovid is not the only antiviral drug used in the fight against the coronavirus.
Molnupiravir (Lagevrio), marketed by the American pharmaceutical group Merck & Coreduces, like Paxlovid, the ability of the virus to multiply and spread in the body.
“Although these drugs do not reduce the duration of symptoms, they decrease the need for hospitalization and work best when taken early in the course of COVID-19.”says The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Notable difference between the two: the Paxlovid would be much more effective than the Lagevrio. The antiviral would reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 30% for people at risk, compared to 89% for Paxlovid.
The drug created by the Pfizer laboratory should not, however, be administered to people with severe kidney or liver disease and should not be taken with certain other drugs (amiodarone, colchicine, statins, etc.). Doctors may temporarily stop or replace these drugs during treatment, or they may lower the dose of a drug that interacts with Paxlovid.
As for molnupiravir, it should not be prescribed to patients who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
“This medication should not be administered to children or to pregnant and breastfeeding women. People taking molnupiravir should follow a contraceptive program and health systems should ensure access to pregnancy tests and contraceptives at the point of care“, warns the WHO.
In question: the results of the clinical trial of the Merck & Co laboratory, carried out on rats and rabbits in gestation, showed more cases of malformation within certain litters.