Berlin. The corona drug Paxlovid is being prescribed very cautiously. Many pills end up in the trash. Why this is the case and who the drug helps.
The drug once described as a beacon of hope in the fight against Corona Paxlovid is being prescribed with extreme caution in Germany. Three of the largest health insurance companies in Germany, Techniker Krankenkasse, Barmer and AOK Rheinland-Hamburg, only counted around 15,000 prescriptions during the past Corona peak season from October to New Year, despite a large number of infections. How the reluctance can be explained and for whom Paxlovid is still a treatment option.
Corona: What is Paxlovid and how does the drug work?
Paxlovid is a so-called antiviral drug from the US company Pfizer and consists of the two active ingredients nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The recommended dose is two tablets with 150 milligrams of nirmatrelvir each and one tablet with 100 milligrams of ritonavir. The three tablets should be taken twice a day, morning and evening, for a period of five days. The dose should be reduced within the first five days after symptoms appear. therapy The active ingredient nirmatrelvir prevents corona viruses from multiplying in human cells, ritonavir increases the duration of action of nirmatrelvir.
