Two drugs against her covid-19 has at its disposal Cyprus. Merck's Molnupiravir and Pfizer's Paxlovid.
Speaking on the show Front Page, the Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Services of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Elena Panagiotopoulou analyzed the important differences and similarities between the two drugs.
According to Ms. Panagiotopoulou, these are two antiviral drugs that intervene in the multiplication of the virus. Both drugs have contraindications for breastfeeding and pregnant women.
In their differences it is noted that the Pfizer pill is specialized for its treatment covid-19 while Merck's is an antiviral drug that already existed to treat viruses. The second difference concerns their effectiveness since the Pfizer pill is more effective.
As mentioned by Ms. Papanagiotopoulou, both need prescriptions for people who belong to high risk groups, ie people who if infected with covid-19 are at risk of serious illness or even death.
Care should be taken when administering Pfizer to individuals with hepatic or renal impairment and for interactions with other medications that may be taken concomitantly.