The agency must assess the compliance of the product with European standards of efficacy and safety.
- The anti-Covid drug would complement and not replace the effect of vaccines
- It would reduce the risk of hospitalization by two
- It would come in the form of a pill to be swallowed with a glass of water
It will not replace vaccines! But the oral antiviral drug for the treatment of Covid-19 in adults could quickly strengthen the arsenal to fight against the pandemic or at least against its most serious effects, hospitalizations and deaths. On October 25, the European Medicines Agency launched an accelerated review of the drug developed by the Merck laboratory, a step that prepares for a possible authorization request for this product in Europe. Emergency authorization for this anti-Covid treatment had already been requested two weeks ago by this laboratory in the United States.
Reduce the ability of the virus to multiply in the body
According to the tests conducted by the laboratory, this drug could, if prescribed within a few days after an infection with SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, halve the risk of hospitalization, i.e. the risk to develop a severe form of Covid-19. However, if its examination by the European Agency leads to authorization of this treatment, it will not be an alternative to vaccination: the experts have already laid down the principle according to which this product could not that complement the action of vaccines in the prevention against severe forms of the disease in adults and that it was not a “miracle cure”. Its action is to reduce the ability of the virus to multiply in the body of infected people. On the other hand, its use would be very simple since it would be a simple tablet to take at home with a glass of water. The laboratory is currently conducting another clinical trial, which has not yet been completed, to assess the ability of this treatment to be used as a preventive measure for contact cases.
The accelerated review of this medicine by the European Agency is a procedure that can be used when it comes to providing a solution to a public health emergency. It consists of ensuring that the product complies with European standards in terms of efficacy, safety and quality.
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