Corona situation: Fear of Omikron - Germany wants to buy anti-Covid pills

Created: 12/23/2021, 4:12 PM

From: Andreas Apetz

Pfizer's new corona pill is called Paxlovid and is intended to reduce clinical risk by 90 percent.

(Archive image) © Sven Simon / Imago

In view of the high number of corona infections, the federal government wants to break new ground to relieve the hospitals.

The corona situation at a glance.

• The Corona situation * in Germany seems to be becoming more and more critical in view of the Omikron variant.

• In order to relieve the health system, the Federal Republic wants to procure several corona drugs from the USA *.

  Among them is the product Paxlovid from Pfizer *.

• The current corona situation at a glance.

Frankfurt - The corona virus still has a firm grip on the Federal Republic.

In order to slow down the wave of omicrons approaching Germany, the federal government is trying to procure the new corona drug Paxlovid.

In the USA, the product manufactured by Pfizer was released on Wednesday (December 22nd, 2021) in an accelerated process for the treatment of sick people.

The EU Medicines Agency (EMA) has also given the go-ahead for the use of paxlovid in emergencies.

According to a spokesman, the Federal Ministry of Health is “negotiating with the manufacturers to secure contingents for Germany and to make them available for supply in a timely manner”.

Corona situation in Germany: Paxlovid and Lagevrio - drugs should relieve hospitals

In addition to the Pfizer product, Germany is also said to be interested in the drug Lagevrio, which is manufactured by the US company MSD. Both corona drugs are antivirals that prevent the virus from reproducing. Both funds still have to be fully approved by the EMA. At the European Medicines Agency (EMA), however, “assessment procedures with the aim of approval have already been started,” said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health.

According to the manufacturer Pfizer, the agent can reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by almost 90 percent.

In Germany, both funds are to be used primarily for high-risk patients.

This affects people over the age of 60 with conditions such as obesity or diabetes.

Medicines like paxlovid have the great advantage that they can easily be taken orally by the sick at home.

No specialist staff is required.

In this way, the burden on health and care facilities is to be relieved.

Omicron variant: Booster vaccination is still the most important measure

It is not yet known when and how many drugs Germany will receive.

Since Pfizer's Paxlovid has to be manufactured in a complex synthetic process, it will be some time before the first anti-Covid pills reach Germany.

In addition, the US government has secured ten million packages worth around $ 5.3 billion.

But similar to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach * (SPD *), the manufacturer Pfizer sees corona drugs only as a supplement to the tool box for combating corona.

The most important thing is still the booster vaccination, emphasized a spokesman for the pharmaceutical company.

(aa / dpa)