Sahpra green lights anti-viral meds to treat Covid

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has registered anti-viral medication Paxlovid to treat Covid-19.

The medication is manufactured by Pfizer.

Paxlovid is used for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid in adult patients who do not need
supplemental oxygen and who are at risk of their infection becoming severe.

“Sahpra is committed to fast tracking the registration of all health products that are of an
urgent nature such as HIV-Aids, cancer and Covid-19,” said Sahpra CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela.

“As Covid-19 is a looming threat, the registration of Paxlovid heralds a welcome signal in the fight against this pandemic.”

Paxlovid is taken in tablet form. Side-effects can include hypersensitivity, diarrhoea, vomiting, and
altered taste.

Sahpra said the medication has a shelf life of 12 months when stored at or below 25 °C.

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WHO says Covid still global emergency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday said Covid-19 remains an international emergency.

Three years after the pandemic emerged, WHO said more than 752 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported. This includes more than 6.8 million deaths, it added.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said although “we are in a far better situation now than we were a year ago, when the Omicron wave was at its peak”, deaths have been rising since December.

“In the past eight weeks, more than 170 000 people have lost their lives to Covid-19,” he said.

Covid cases started rising again in early December, driven by a dramatic outbreak in China, after Beijing lifted its tight restrictions.

Additional reporting by AFP

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