The Ministry of Health awaits the result of the meeting of Conitec (National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies to the SUS), scheduled for Tuesday (12), to acquire the antiviral Paxlovid for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. It is only after this approval that the Ministry of Health must sign the purchase contract for the purchase of the medicine.
According to reports made to CNN, the decision to wait for the approval of Conitec before signing the contract with Pfizer to purchase the drug was to protect the Ministry of Health from ideological polemics and the politicization of the subject in an election year.
THE CNN found that the technical committee should recommend the purchase of the drug. If the document is signed in April, the expectation is that the first batch will arrive in Brazil in May.
The amount that must be acquired by the Ministry of Health will still be defined after approval by the technical committee, but the purchase estimate is from 400 to 500 million units to serve mainly the group of patients at high risk of still contracting the disease as severe even after the complete vaccination schedule.
The antiviral Paxlovid, manufactured by Pfizer, prevents the disease from getting worse. The drug is made up of Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir tablets that are packaged and given together. The indication for use is aimed at the treatment of Covid-19 in adults who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of worsening the disease. At the end of March, Anvisa approved the emergency use of the drug.
Source: CNN Brasil
