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Faced with Covid-19, and the fifth wave affecting France, antiviral drugs could well be required. Explanations on the 20 Hours set with Damien Mascret, journalist and doctor.
France will very soon have a new weapon in the fight against Covid-19: antivirals. These drugs come in two forms. On the one hand the Lagevrio from the Merck laboratory, on the other the Paxlovid from Pfizer. “Thanks to the first, hospitalizations would be reduced by 50% against 89% less hospitalizations for the second”, indicates Damien Mascret, health journalist at France Televisions. While no details were given for Paxlovil, Olivier Véran announced the arrival of 50,000 Lagevrio treatments to come between the end of November and the beginning of December.
The use of these antivirals will have to await authorization from the European Medicines Agency, before they can be sold. The prescription conditions for these antivirals are “very restrictive”, underlines the journalist. Treatment will be reserved for people who have not been vaccinated or have a risk factor (diabetes, age, obesity). It should be administered five days after the first symptoms appear.