China's COVID-19 surge raises odds of new coronavirus mutant (37 million infections in one day)

[Celerity]

5. Private hospitals in China begin using Pfizer oral drug for COVID treatment

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-12-24/Private-hospitals-in-China-begin-using-Pfizer-s-Paxlovid--1g1xsIi8yeQ/index.html



Some private hospitals in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai are among the first in China to offer treatment for COVID-19 using antiviral Paxlovid pills developed by the American company Pfizer. The news came as the number of COVID patients increased in China after the country optimized its COVID-control measures with fewer checks and restrictions in late November.

Doctors said Paxlovid, which requires a prescription, is not available to all patients. "There's no need for patients with mild symptoms to take this medicine," Dr. Kelly Xia, general manager of Guangzhou United Family Hospital, told CGTN. It is mainly for people who are at high risk of COVID-19, such as those aged over 65 or have chronic diseases, Xia said, adding that this medicine can prevent their condition from becoming more severe.

China's drug regulator – the National Medical Products Administration – granted conditional approval for the imports of Pfizer's Paxlovid COVID-19 pill in February 2022. The administration asked the drug's marketing authorization holder to continue its relevant research work, fulfill the conditions within the specified time and submit the following research results timely.

The medicine was reported to be sold online and soon sold out. There's little report of the drug's availability in other public hospitals yet. Paxlovid is one of the two oral medicines for COVID-19 treatment having been approved in China, and the other is Azvudine, developed by China's Genuine Biotech.

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