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Pfizer's anti-COVID-19 drug, Paxlovid, will be available for sale in private hospitals and pharmacies by prescription after being authorized by the country's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA).
The decision was taken unanimously by ANVISA's board of directors. Paxlovid, manufactured by the U.S. laboratory Pfizer, was authorized in Brazil for emergency use at the end of March.
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In order to buy the drug in pharmacies, people will have to present a medical prescription, ANVISA said in a statement, in which it said that Paxlovid should only be used by adults.
The agency also said the drug is indicated for the treatment of Covid-19 when the patient does not require the use of supplemental oxygen and is at increased risk of progression to a serious case.
The treatment consists of taking the two pills together orally twice a day for 5 days. The drug works by blocking the enzyme that the COVID-19 virus needs to replicate in the body.
�� | Anvisa aprova venda de medicamento contra a Covid19.
— ���� GeoGeovane ���� (@GeoResende_) November 22, 2022
O medicamento Paxlovid, da Pfizer, poderá ser vendido em farmácias com receita médica.
Ao contrário da cloroquina, a eficácia deste medicamento foi comprovada. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/2ehVa6pBbd
Anvisa approves sale of drug against Covid19. The drug Paxlovid, by Pfizer, may be sold in pharmacies with a prescription. Unlike chloroquine, the efficacy of this drug has been proven.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has approved Paxlovid, as has the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Europe, Canada, China, Australia, Japan, UK and Mexico.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly recommended its use for patients with mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 who are at increased risk of hospitalization.
Noting that the agency's decision to put the drug on the private market will increase access to COVID-19 treatment, ANVISA director Meiruze Freitas said that vaccination remains the best approach to prevent COVID-19, hospitalizations and deaths.
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