Ontario's Science Table this week endorsed a new drug therapy for treating mild cases of COVID-19.
The drugs are Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir, which are given together and are marketed under the name Paxlovid in Canada, for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The science table described how the drug works in layman's terms.
"When the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, infects you, it enters the cells in your throat and lungs. Once inside your cells, the virus makes copies of itself, releasing more viruses which can then infect more cells. It does this by making copies of its genetic code which it uses to assemble new virus. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (NEER-mah-TREL-veer/ree-TOW-nah-VEER), are two drugs marketed as Paxlovid that, when taken together, stop this process," said the science table report.
Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir is licensed by Health Canada to treat adult patients 18 and older with COVID-19 who are well enough to be cared for at home but have a higher chance of becoming very sick from COVID-19 and needing to be cared for in hospital, said the report.
The science table report said the two drugs can reduce the incidence of hospitalization and/or death in patients with mild COVID-19 with risk factors for progression to moderate or critical illness, with fewer treatment-emergent serious adverse events relative to placebo.
The science table report gave an extensive breakdown of its recommendations for patients who might be considered good candidates for the new therapy.
The Ontario Science Table is a group of scientists and health care officials who evaluate and report on new and emerging evidence about fighting and treating COVID-19.
Len Gillis is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Sudbury.com, covering health care in Northern Ontario. The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible with funding from the federal government.
