Verona, the new anti Covid pill arrives: “A weapon, but not the definitive cure”
“The results are good. Let’s say it’s one more weapon against Covid … ». The “weapon” mentioned by Professor Roberto Leone – full professor of pharmacology of the degree course of Medicine and Surgery in Verona and director of the Pharmacology Service and head of Pharmacovigilance of the integrated university hospital – has a name that is a kind of tongue twister: Molnupiravir. That “pill”, which on the market takes the wording of “Lagevrio”, but that all those who expect it as a godsend call it much more simply the “Anti covid pill”. The one that received the green light from Aifa, the Italian drug agency, last December 22ndand which was distributed by the Commissioner Structure to the Regions. In Veneto, in Padua which acts as leader and referent, it arrived yesterday.
It does not replace the vaccine
It will arrive in Verona in the next few days, after the calculations on how many to distribute and after the general managers of Usl and the integrated university hospital will be notified. It will land in hospital pharmacies, that antiviral. And then, according to the evaluations that will be made, probably also be available in the territorial ones. The treatment consists of four capsules of 200 grams each to be taken twice a day for 5 days. . «Let it be clear that it is not a “replacement” for the vaccine “, explains Professor Leone. Who is also president of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Trials of the Provinces of Verona and Rovigo and – not a secondary thing as regards the new “pill” – member of the Regional Technical Commission for Medicines of the Region. “Nor is it a “panacea” able to cure everyone from covid. We are still a long way from that. This is a complex drug, an antiviral. It should be administered with caution … ». So much so that it won’t be available to everyone. “It must be used on the onset of the first symptoms. And they are used to avoid hospitalizations or worse in people who have previous pathologies, I am thinking of heart patients, diabetics or obese, who would be more at risk by contracting covid ».
Difficult timing
Professor Leone does not let himself go to enthusiasm. «It will be fundamental the interaction with the GPs, who “intercept” suitable patients as is already the case for monoclonals. Veneto is the region that gives them more, in a path shared with general practitioners. The same strategy will have to be used for Molnupiravir for which the ability to recognize the symptoms and knowledge of the patient are fundamental. I believe that in the Regional Medicines Technique commission we will set up a “table” to study its progress, as is already the case for other treatment pathways such as monoclonals or antibacterials ». The difficulty of the “pill” lies precisely in the timing. It must be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. Which, in the initial phase, could be associated with other pathologies causing the tampon to “slip”. For which we must also take into account the “processing” times which, in recent days due to the increase in tests, have somewhat lengthened. And especially, it has a limited action in duration, since the active ingredients are lowered within two days, which is why it cannot possibly be an “alternative” to the vaccine. In short, another challenge, but above all another front, for those “hospital pharmacies” that have been working incessantly for two years. «The workload is absolutely remarkable – concludes Professor Leone -, because everything passes through these structures, from vaccines to drugs dedicated to other pathologies. But we are not in close contact with patients, which instead happens to our colleagues in the local pharmacies who are giving an absolutely important response against the pandemic ».
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January 5, 2022 (change January 5, 2022 | 17:57)
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