The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Thursday it has approved Pfizer's anti-Covid-19 pill, Paxlovid, becoming the first antiviral drug approved for use in the European Union.
The EMA recommended "authorizing Paxlovid to treat Covid-19 in adults who do not need extra oxygen and who are at risk for the disease to become severe."
Antivirals work by reducing the ability of a virus to reproduce, thus curbing disease. Such a product is good news because it can be used easily (simply with a glass of water at home).
Pfizer said in December that Paxlovid reduces hospitalizations and deaths in people at risk by up to 90% when taken in the first few days after the onset of symptoms.
The EMA evaluated data from a study involving patients with Covid. "Paxlovid treatment significantly reduced hospitalizations or deaths in patients who had at least one health condition that put them at risk for severe symptoms," the EMA said.
Most of the patients in the study were infected with the Delta variant, the agency said, while noting that laboratory tests show that Paxlovid should be effective against Omicron.
The United States, Canada and Israel are the countries that have already given the green light to Pfizer's new treatment.
