US drugs regulator grants emergency approval for Covid-19 tablet

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted Emergency Use Authorization to Pfizer's Covid-19 oral anti-viral pill, a breakthrough that experts believe will help in the battle against coronavirus.
The FDA has authorized the emergency use of Paxlovid for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults and kids who are risk of their condition worsening.
The treatment was designed to block the activity of the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate.
Pfizer said the pill will be made available to patients in the US immediately.
The drug is to be available in the US by prescription, but free of charge. The US government had announced that it had bought 10 million doses for 5.3 billion dollars.
According to broadcaster CNBC, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla had earlier stated that the company already shipped some of the pills to the US so they can be prescribed as soon as the FDA authorization comes through.
According to Pfizer, an interim analysis of test results showed that the drug reduced the risk of hospitalization and death in Covid-19 patients by 89 per cent. Possible side effects include impaired sense of taste, diarrhoea, high blood pressure and muscle pain.