Israel got the first shipment of Pfizer's anti-Covid pill on Thursday. It is crucial, according to Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett, in combating the Omicron threat.
"The drugs arrived in Israel quickly as a result of our quick action," Bennett added, "and will help us get over the height of the impending Omicron wave." Last Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) gave the go light to Pfizer's Paxlovid pill.
The drug has been shown in trials to reduce Covid hospitalizations and fatalities in at-risk persons by 88 percent. The medicines arrived in Israel at a time when coronavirus infections are on the rise. On Wednesday, health authorities reported over 4,000 new cases, the highest number since September.
Experts claim the oral medications stop the virus from replicating and should survive variants. Synthetic antibodies or Gilead's antiviral remdesivir, both of which are delivered by infusion, have been the major therapies for Covid until recently. The US has spent $5.3 billion on 10 million courses of Pfizer's new medicine, as well as $2.2 billion on competitor Merck's medication, which looks to be less successful.
The European Union's pharmaceuticals authority has also given member states permission to use Pfizer's Covid drugs as an emergency remedy before formal clearance.
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