COVID-19 Relapses, Lack Of Omicron Data Complicate Paxlovid Case In India
Executive Summary A few cases of COVID-19 relapse have Twitter abuzz about the need for data on Paxlovid’s effectiveness, particularly against the Omicron variant and in vaccinated individuals. Despite regulatory approval in India, the drug has not yet been included in treatment guidelines and a debate on recommended dosage now complicates matters. Source: Shutterstock A collective sigh of relief was heard across the world when Paxlovid, Pfizer Inc. ’s co-packaged nirmatrelvir and ritonavir treatment for COVID-19, was launched. However, Twitter has been abuzz of late with news of the disease relapsing in a few individuals despite having taken the recommended five-day course of the drug. When Pfizer sought an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it had submitted data from unvaccinated patients against the Delta variant. Later, it said that nirmatrelvir is a strong inhibitor of the Omicron 3CL protease and combined with existing data on P...