Covid pills and vaccines: facts, comparisons and analyzes
Here are the comparative opinions of experts on Covid pills and vaccines
The discovery of the effectiveness of anti Covid pills is certainly good news but, experts recall, woe to think that it can be compared or, worse, replaced with vaccines. Here because.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI COVID PILLS
The anti Covid pills that are mainly talked about in the last period are two. Molnupiravir produced by the American giant Merck Sharp & Dohme (Msd), in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and Pfizer's Paxlovid .
The Merck anti-Covid pill has been shown to halve the risk of hospitalization and death in patients with Covid and the UK is the first country in the world to have authorized its use .
Pfizer's drug looks even more promising. According to Reuters , it reduces the risk of contracting Covid in a severe form by 89% and therefore the chances of hospitalization or death among adults.
HOW HEALTH AUTHORITIES ARE MOVING
Although there is still no green light from either the Food and Drug Administration (Fda) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the United States has already signed a procurement agreement with Merck and, while Ema has announced that it has started the continuous rolling review procedure, "Aifa has already taken steps to acquire an adequate quantity of the oral antiviral drug", the coordinator of the CTS Franco Locatelli said a few days ago.
HOW DO THE ANTI COVID PILLS WORK?
Antiviral drugs, which include both Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, are medicines used to treat influenza and, if taken promptly, can reduce symptoms, disease duration and complications. In the case of Covid infection, they interfere with the virus's ability to replicate.
The same goes for treatment with monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir, which, however, are only administered in the hospital.
THE ADVANTAGES
Of course, anti Covid pills can be an excellent ally in the global fight against the virus. Giving pills to patients who do not need hospitalization and vigilant medical surveillance would greatly ease the pressure on hospitals and could be a turning point for poorer countries still waiting for vaccines.
THE LIMITS
Not all that glitters is gold, though. In fact, a timely diagnosis is required to administer the anti Covid pills since the best results were obtained when the drug was administered within 5 days of diagnosis.
Then there is the economic question. About $ 700 will be required for each course of treatment, an exorbitant amount compared to vaccines.
Another not insignificant aspect is the effectiveness. In fact, although the results are satisfactory, anti Covid pills are not comparable to vaccines – an aspect on which many experts agree. Furthermore, vaccines do not need early diagnosis.
WHAT MANTOVANI THINKS
The immunologist and scientific director of the Humanitas Institute of Rozzano, Alberto Mantovani, commenting on the arrival of the anti Covid pills, told Repubblica : “Every new tool to fight Covid is good news. But we must be able to read successes and failures. It has recently been found that aspirin taken at home does not work. It is a failure that saves pills and guides our choices better ”.
“As for antivirals – he continued – Merck's molnupiravir has been shown to reduce hospitalizations by 50% if taken within 5 days of diagnosis and for 5 days. There are several 'ifs' and we cannot call it a miracle cure, much less an alternative to vaccination. The same drug, tested in India, showed no benefit. I look forward to the evaluation of the European Medicines Agency, which I hope will be positive ”.
THE OPINION OF BASSETTI
The director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the San Martino Hospital in Genoa Matteo Bassetti stresses that vaccination is "the best tool to keep the disease at bay". "The treatments – explained the professor – are used when the vaccine 'hole', that is, it was not effective, or when people cannot undergo the vaccination for various reasons".
“I repeat – he continued – drugs must not constitute an alternative choice to vaccines, a priori. Also because they are very expensive. […] Molnupiravir, produced by the American company Merck, can reduce hospitalizations by 50% in people who take it when they have symptoms of Covid, certified by a molecular swab. But the interesting thing is that this drug also works when the symptoms are related to the flu ”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/pillole-e-vaccini-anti-covid-fatti-confronti-e-analisi/ on Mon, 08 Nov 2021 14:30:08 +0000.