Pfizer’s COVID Pill Could Have Risky Effects When Used With Other Drugs; FDA Restricts Merck’s COVID Pill Use to Adults and Scenarios Where Other Treatments Are Not Available
The logo of US multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer, is pictured at a factory in Puurs, where Covid-19 vaccines are being produced for Britain, on December 3, 2020. - Britain on December 2, 2020 became the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, while Japan and Italy pledged free inoculations for all even as the global death toll rose towards 1.5 million. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

Pfizer's COVID pill Paxlovid was found to cause severe life-threatening effects when mixed with certain medications such as blood thinners, statins, and some antidepressants.

The Food and Drug Administration has earlier authorized Pfizer's COVID pill Paxlovid for mild to moderate COVID in people as young as 12.

The drug can also be used for people who have underlying conditions that raise the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID, according to an NBC News report.

The FDA has not recommended Paxlovid for people with severe kidney and liver disease. The agency has also listed in its fact sheet about Paxlovid, detailing medications that may interact harmfully with ritonavir.

However, pharmacists stress that many of the drug interactions are manageable and it should not prevent most people from taking the Pfizer COVID pill.

Emily Zadvorny, a clinical pharmacist and the executive director of the Colorado Pharmacists Society, said that pharmacists are highly trained experts in medication safety and monitoring.

She noted that pharmacists are an excellent source of information and advice about interactions between medications, as well as supplements and herbal products.

Patients seeking Paxlovid should be sure to let their prescribers and pharmacists know the complete list of other medications and over-the-counter supplements they are taking, according to Peter Anderson.

Anderson is a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

COVID Pills Manufactured by Merck

Meanwhile, Merck's molnupiravir, another COVID pill, is not authorized for children as it might interfere with bone growth, according to a Market Watch report. Merck's COVID pill is also not recommended for pregnant women as it can cause possible birth defects.

Merck's COVID pills are intended to be used at home to treat COVID in people 18 and older at risk of developing severe illness.

A study showed that a 30 percent reduction was noted in the risk of hospitalization and death.

Merck has noted that men and women should use contraception while taking molnupiravir if they are having sex as it might result in pregnancy, according to an NDTV News report.

Older people and those who have underlying health conditions would be allowed to get a prescription for Merck's COVID pills if they become sick from COVID and cannot get Pfizer's COVID pills or other treatments, such as monoclonal antibody drugs.

Merck's drug had also appeared far less effective than Pfizer's COVID pill, according to The New York Times report.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government had shown a preference for Pfizer's COVID pill, with around 10 million orders as compared to three million of Merck's.

The Merck pill will be available more widely early on as the government expects to receive its full order of three million by the end of January.

Meanwhile, Pfizer's will arrive more slowly, with the 10 million orders seen to come by July.

Jeff Zients, heading U.S. President Joe Biden's COVID response, said that the U.S. would use Merck's pill however the FDA advises, adding that they will follow the agency's leadership.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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