Alejandro Macías Hernández, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the University of Guanajuato, said that the commercialization of Paxlovid will help patients with coronavirus obtain a regulated medication, which before this decision, could only be obtained on the black market.
On August 1, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks, Cofepris, announced that it had granted authorization for sanitary registration to Paxlovid, a drug manufactured by the Pfizer laboratory, which is why it can now be marketed under the same name.
“This medicine is a combination of two other drugs against Covid-19: nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. Both are good drugs for preventing complications, although not so good for helping people who are seriously ill to recover their health.”
He recalled that among the risk groups for infection are people with comorbidities and autoimmune diseases, as well as pregnant women, children and the elderly, and said that it is easier for them to develop complications due to coronavirus.
For this reason, he advised that it is better to prescribe medications such as Paxlovid before the patient becomes seriously ill.
“Until recently, before this drug, there was no option in Mexico, as happened at the time with influenza, for which Tamiflu is used. In this case, Paxlovid is used in situations where the patient is still in good condition and oxygenated well, but is at risk of becoming seriously ill,” he explained.
He reiterated that it is important that this medicine be available in Mexico, at least for those who can afford it, and urged the authorities to carry out the corresponding procedures so that it is soon on the market.
He shared that nowadays there is a black market where medicines that were obtained from abroad are sold and it is not known if they are original, which can be a big fraud.
“The fact that it has already been authorized for sale in Mexico is good because it is a studied drug,” he concluded.
